CtK

Farewell

2011-10-09T20:30:00.000-04:00

“Give, and it shall be given to you. For whatever measure you deal out to others, it will be dealt to you in return.” Matthew 7:2

I would like to inform you that I have been honoured and blessed with a promotion to Acting Assistant Superintendent of Education of Student Success. My tenure at Christ the King C.S.S. will be coming to an end in the near future. We do not know who my successor will be at the present time. I will continue in the role of Principal until otherwise notified by the board.

It has been an honour and privilege to lead such a wonderful Catholic Learning Community for more than four and a half years. I have been blessed with an outstanding team of educators and students that are simply second to none in our board.

Outside of the wonderful staff that we have been able to recruit during my time at Christ the King, I would hope that I will be remembered for embracing the notion that since we were created in the image of God, every student under our charge is afforded the inalienable right to human dignity; one that guarantees the understanding that every student can learn, progress and achieve.

I hope you have enjoyed my blog over the last three years. It was intended to share my perspective and to engage the CtK parental community. I hope that my successor will continue this tradition.

Take care and god bless.

Captain America

2011-10-02T14:05:00.000-04:00

At our first staff meeting this year, I shared my reading list with our staff. Most of the books in some way, shape or form related to education, leadership and theology. However, for some reason, I did not mention that I have delved back into a childhood hobby of reading comic books again.

My wife and I love to see movies. If it is "worth its salt", we have probably seen it. One of these movies was the summer hit, Captain America: The First Avenger. After watching it, I was inspired to start reading the ultimate collection versions of Captain America by Ed Brubaker.

Why would a patriotic Canadian develop a voracious reading appetite for Captain America comic books? I am not sure.

Maybe I am struck by Captain America's commitment to a cause and in protecting those that can't protect themselves? Maybe it is his commitment to a moral and ethical manner in which he goes about his role? Maybe it is his unwavering belief in WHY he does what he does?

Perhaps it is the combination of the above that I relate to as a Catholic Secondary School Administrator? My role is to lead, mentor, coach and nurture an environment that believes in the dignity of the human person; one which is founded on the belief that everyone has the right to a learning environment in which students can learn, progress and achieve; one that supports the poor and vulnerable; one that is committed to the common good.

The common good....perhaps this is the connection with the shield, red, white and blue.

Thanks for reading. Looking forward to your comments.

Student Success

2011-09-25T15:17:00.000-04:00

Father Ray Modeski's homily at mass rang true for me this past Saturday. It hit me as a Catholic educator and as a Catholic Principal at Christ the King C.S.S.

He was recounting a mass he had presided over recently for teacher retirees of the Halton Catholic District School Board. To wit, he reiterated the words of a long-retired Superintendent in our board. This gentleman stated that "good students earn our reputation; average students earn our salary; and difficult students earn our salvation."
As you take a moment to re-read this statement, it sums up what our exceptional teachers do on a daily basis; teachers that embrace, understand and appreciate the complexities of their role and of the students they welcome through their classroom doors everyday that class is in session. We are very blessed to have a Catholic Learning Environment filled with such teachers.

The Catholic Principal's role is to provide the instructional leadership, resources and job-embedded professional learning opportunities for their teaching staff which in turn will benefit all of our students in terms of meeting their diverse needs in the way curriculum is delivered and assessed.

It is the Catholic Principal's role to communicate a message and put into practice a vision of discipleship for the entire Catholic Learning Community which directly impacts how we engage and support those students that are vulnerable, poor and/or disenfranchised. Specifically, each learning environment should layer student success, mental health and co-curricular supports over the academic pieces mentioned earlier.

The Ministry of Education launched phase one of the their student success strategy called "Student Success/Learning to 18" in three phases commencing in 2003. The goals are:

Increase the graduation rate and decrease the drop-out rate;
Support a good outcome for all students;
Provide students with new and relevant learning opportunities;
Build on students' strengths and interests; and
Provide students with an effective elementary to secondary school transition.

As you can see in the graphic, graduation rates have been increasing. We are close to the goal of 85% as a province.

It has been through this strategy that students now have more supports from an intervention standpoint, more cooperative education opportunities that would go toward their Ontario Secondary School Diploma, access to a growing list of Specialist High Skills Major Programs (CtK has three: Arts & Culture, Information & Communication Technology, & a Sports Performance Specialist High Skills Major)

In the end, it is the one-on-one bond that a teacher makes with his/her students. It is their efforts in opening up their hearts and in looking for Christ in the faces of each student they teach. This approach will only spirit cooperation, a commitment to excellence and in the end....student success.

Thanks for reading. Looking forward to your comments.

McKinsey and Company Report

2011-09-18T20:52:00.000-04:00

I was re-reading the executive summary of the McKinsey Report for reference. This study was done to find out why some schools succeed where others do not. Specifically, they studied 20 of the world’s school systems, including ten of the top performers on the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) which tests student’s in math, reading and science aptitudes.

I mentioned some of the findings at our first staff meeting. I would like to share some of their findings for your digestion.

FINDINGS

The experiences of these top school systems suggests three things that matter most: 1) getting the right people to become teachers, 2) developing them into effective instructors, 3) ensuring that the system is able to deliver the best possible instruction for every child. This is irrespective of the culture in which they are applied as well.

Ontario and Alberta (Canada) students were in the top 10 with Australia, Belgium, Finland, Hong Kong, Japan, Netherlands, New Zealand, Singapore and South Korea.

· Reducing class size from 23 to 15 students improves the performance of an average student by 8 percentile points at best

· A study in Dallas shows that the performance gap between students assigned three effective teachers in a row, and those assigned three ineffective teachers in a row was 49 percentile points

· The only way to improve outcomes is to improve instruction through professional development

· High performing school systems help teachers improve instruction, create awareness of weaknesses in their practice, provide them with a precise knowledge of best practice, and motivate them to make the necessary improvements i.e. mentoring, coaching, collaboration, principal’s as instructional leaders

· Being a teacher is about helping children to learn; being a principal is about helping adults to learn

· The PISA scores of the top performing systems show a low correlation between outcomes and the home background of the individual student

· All of the top-performing and rapidly improving systems have curriculum standards which set clear and high expectations for what students should achieve

· All of the top-performing systems recognize that they cannot improve what they do not measure

Our school and system are in the intervention stage called great to excellent.

Great to excellent: the interventions of this stage move the locus of improvement from the center to the schools themselves; the focus is on introducing peer-based learning through schoolbased and system-wide interaction, as well as supporting system-sponsored innovation and experimentation

The McKinsey Report has been downloaded below for your reference.

http://ssomckinsey.darbyfilms.com/reports/schools/How-the-Worlds-Most-Improved-School-Systems-Keep-Getting-Better_Download-version_Final.pdf

Thank you for reading. I am looking forward to your comments.

9/11 - 10th Anniversary

2011-09-11T08:31:00.000-04:00

"Fear is the cheapest room in the house. I would like to see you living in better living conditions."

Words from a 14th Century, Sufi Teacher that I reiterated at our Grade Assemblies last week. My theme revolved around how fear disables our efforts in walking as a disciple of Jesus and staying true to a course of discipline that would precipitate a commitment to excellence.

I challenged our students to take that step to freedom by staying true to themselves and to be courageous when confronting such obstacles.

Using the American monuments and rebuilding efforts in response to the unspeakable horror that befell New York City, I reminded our students in the Friday morning announcements to pray for the souls of the departed; in particular the first responders who risked and in many cases lost their lives attempting to help those who needed it desperately in conditions replete with fear and gloom.

Please feel free to share your thoughts.

Welcome back!

2011-09-04T09:14:00.000-04:00

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 2011-2012 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 Kick Start and Orientation the last week of August was a great success. Our Prefects did a great job acclimatizing our incoming Grade 9 students into the culture of our school.

Grade Assemblies will follow this upcoming week. 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 four years ago as a testament to what they would model and expect from our students.

Our school priorities of Discipline, Discipleship and Discernment will be the fulcrum point for our 2011-2012 School Improvement Plan.

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 2011-2012 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.

Graduation 2011

2011-07-03T11:05:00.000-04:00

Below is an excerpt of my address to our 2011 Graduating Class. There are three themes that have been implicitly and explicitly woven into it. My explanation alluded to DeSantis' "3 Ds" of Discipline, Discernment and Discipleship.

"How will the value of our days be measured?
What will matter is not what we have, but what we give.
What will matter is not what we have achieved, but your significance.
What will matter is how long we will be remembered, by whom, and for what."
A life of meaning, discipleship, happiness and purpose.

After four or more years of walking with our Catholic Learning Community,
we are comforted by the fact that it has espoused discipleship,
added meaning, purpose, and happiness to all of our lives.

Jesus stated "follow me" 15 times in the Gospels.
We are all followers, learners or Disciples of Christ.
The question is how will we continue to live our faith
as a disciple of Christ in the 21st Century?

It may mean that we will have to look for Christ being present in our world.

It may mean visiting, noticing and listening
to the kinds of people with which Jesus spent time.

Jesus became friends with the nameless,
disenfranchised, poor and the downtrodden.
Jesus stopped to listen to people
and asked questions like
"What can I do for you?"
"What do you want from me?"

Who gets our attention
and who is easily overlooked
in your everyday life?

How often do we recognize Christ in the flesh?
Disciples in the 21st Century
have their eyes wide open.

They notice the Christ standing
in front of them at the bus stop,
in their workplace,
college or university classroom.

And so to the class of 2011,
disciples of the 21st Century,
in the presence of Ms. MacDonald
& Ms. Doyle our Chaplaincy Leader,
our teaching and support staff,
Father Dave, Father Bob,
Mrs. Alice Anne Lemay – Chair of the Board,
Mr. Mark Rowe - Halton Hills Trustee,
Mrs. Jacqueline Herman, Superintendent of Education,
Mrs. Val Slater, Our Chair of Catholic School Council,
& Award Donors.

I urge you to continue to follow Jesus
by experiencing life in many destinations.

I urge you to practice being a disciple
by noticing Christ in the people you encounter.

I urge you to become a friend by listening,
asking how you can help
and reaching out to those who need you.

May God bless you on your journey in providing hope for tomorrow.

Thank you.

This will be my last blog for the school year. Thank you for reading and for the occasional comments. I hope my blog has provided some insight, information and perspective into our Catholic Learning Community.

Baptism

2011-06-26T21:22:00.001-04:00

My family attended the baptism of a relative today.

The priest was invitational, calm and very open to the families baptizing their children.

He did not mind the noise made by the children nor by the families in attendance while he was anointing the beautiful children.

As a Catholic educator, it was a refreshing sight to behold.

The most poignant part of the liturgy was his homily. The priest related the watering of the plants that were before him on the alter to what we should do as Catholics in nurturing our children's faith.

He pointed out that we should be careful not to water the plants too much that they become saturated. In the same vein, he cautioned the audience not to bring their children to every mass on the church schedule as they would become saturated and stray. Conversely, not watering the plants enough would result in wilting or a disinterest in our faith.

An excellent point that life is a careful medley of checks and balances and the pursuit of our faith should be part of this process for it to grow in a healthy manner.

Thanks for reading. Looking forward to your comments.

Clarence Clemons - January 11, 1942 - June 18, 2011

2011-06-19T19:53:00.002-04:00

You either love Bruce Springsteen or are indifferent towards him and his music. I have loved Bruce for over 25 years. I have all of his music and a bevy of magazines and books dedicated to him and his talented band mates. I am the fan that would have collected outtakes of his music going back 40 years. I have a thorough knowledge of all of Springsteen's band mates.....most notably Clarence Clemons.

Why Clarence? I have seen Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band live in concert on several occasions. His concerts are simply second to none in my opinion. Bruce's interplay with Clarence in concert has been legendary.

Despite Clarence's tremendous talent and his seminal contributions to Bruce's music throughout the years, I have always been most touched by the trust, loyalty, compassion, care and camaraderie between Clarence and Bruce: A friendship that exceeded 40 years.

I am unable to think of a better example of a true kinship between two human beings.

You can imagine how I felt when I noticed this message on CNN this past Saturday evening.

Legendary rock saxophonist Clarence Clemons died Saturday of complications from a stroke, band mate Bruce Springsteen said. He was 69.

Clemons had played sax in Springsteen's E Street Band off and on since 1972.

"Clarence lived a wonderful life. He carried within him a love of people that made them love him. He created a wondrous and extended family. He loved the saxophone, loved our fans and gave everything he had every night he stepped on stage," Springsteen said in a statement.

"His loss is immeasurable and we are honored and thankful to have known him and had the opportunity to stand beside him for nearly 40 years. He was my great friend, my partner and with Clarence at my side, my band and I were able to tell a story far deeper than those simply contained in our music. His life, his memory, and his love will live on in that story and in our band."

So....on this day...Father's Day.....Clarence has left behind four children. I have been examining my own mortality, my friendships and the love for my wife and children.

While I never met Clarence, I felt that I really knew him through Bruce's music, his part in it, and the love he and Bruce had for one another.

May God bless his soul.

Thanks for reading. Looking forward to your comments

Equity and Inclusive Education

2011-06-12T14:22:00.000-04:00

Our secondary schools have always been inclusive simply by virtue of open access. Also, we have always ensured that staff and students are able to thrive in a safe, equitable and inclusive learning environment. This has been nurtured with the advent of Safe Schools and Progressive Discipline legislation. To wit, CtK's implementation of restorative justice practices in the classroom and in the way our administration deals with conflict has added an extra layer of security and equity for students.

Our board has been mired in the news with respect to the Equity and Inclusive Education Policy. Below are excerpts from our board website speaking to the action steps in this regard.

On May 3, 2011, the Halton Catholic District School Board passed its new Equity and Inclusive Education Policy (#II-45) . In compliance with the Ministry of Education’s Equity and Inclusive Education Strategy, this policy provides a comprehensive framework that ensures equity and inclusive practices in all aspects of Board and school operations, including: Board policies, programs, procedures and practices, leadership, school/community relationships, religious accommodation, school climate and prevention of discrimination and harassment, professional learning, accountability and transparency; while remaining entirely consistent with Catholic teaching.
As a Catholic school system that teaches the respect, dignity and love of all people, our Board is committed to providing safe, equitable and inclusive school environments. Our schools encourage acceptance and understanding of all students through initiatives intended to provide supports to any student who may feel marginalized or isolated for any reason. Ultimately, it remains our priority to ensure safe and inclusive environments for everyone in all of our Catholic school communities.

Within the parameters established by this policy, the following action steps will be put in place to ensure that every student is free from harassment, violence, or malice in speech or in action:

•By Your SIDE (Safety, Inclusivity, Diversity, Equity) Secondary School Student Focus Groups
•Student Senate and Student Trustee dialogue
•SIDE Spaces programs
•Establishing Networks with Catholic School Boards and Community Agencies to determine best practices in creating equity, inclusivity and safety in schools

Below is the Ontario's Equity and Inclusivity Education Strategy which precipitated boards across the province to take substantial action.

http://cal2.edu.gov.on.ca/april2009/EquityEducationStrategy.pdf

Parents will receive an email which will include comments from the Ontario Catholic Trustees Association and the Assembly of Catholic Bishops of Ontario in the following days.

Thanks for reading. Looking forward to your comments.

Summer Blast Carnival 2011

2011-06-05T18:39:00.000-04:00

“When work, commitment, and pleasure all become one and you reach that deep well where passion lives, nothing is impossible.”

This type of passion was exemplified at our 3rd Annual Summer Blast Carnival last Thursday, June 2 from 11 am to 8 pm at CtK.

Thanks to the support of our student body and our community, we easily eclipsed the funds raised at last year's event for our 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, Student Athletic Association 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 ambassadors 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 everyone that supported Summer Blast!

See you again next year.

Thanks for reading. Looking forward to your comments.

The Purpose of Life is a Life with Purpose

2011-05-29T13:44:00.000-04:00

Our Grade 12 students celebrated with their Graduation Dance this past Friday night.

For all intents and purposes, their behaviour was outstanding! They were respectful, composed, elegant and had a great time!

I mentioned to our students before the night began that they should be proud of their achievements thus far. Their upcoming graduation is the culmination of hard work, commitment and continuous improvement. In addition, they should feel successful that they are celebrating such a fact as they take one more step in their journey towards adulthood.

Our staff is very proud of you and took the time to learn what for many of us (myself included) was a complicated dance routine. I hope that you enjoyed our flash dance as it was in your honour.

You are the essence of God's spirit and our Catholic Learning Community hopes that you continue to shine his light as you continue to build a life with purpose.

Thanks for reading. Looking forward to your comments.

Graduation Dance - May 27, 2011

2011-05-22T14:28:00.003-04:00

Last year at around this time I posted a rather controversial blog regarding my thoughts on the unruly behaviour of our students at the Graduation Dance.

I received more comments to that blog than any other post before or since. I had just as many supporters as detractors for the record.

Time and consideration has had our Graduation planning committee hire a security company in addition to the usual duo of police officers.

The security company will be checking every student seeking admission to our dance for alcohol, drugs and/or weapons. They will be making the determination to deny admittance to students that appear to be under the influence of drugs and/or alcohol.

Please understand that the staff at CtK will not be making this decision. Students attending the Graduation Dance have already received this important message from our Vice-Principals.

Our role will be to supervise the students granted admittance to celebrate what for all intents and purposes is the culmination of four years of hard work and dedication to reach the goal of graduation.

We would kindly ask parents/guardians to ensure that their children refrain from consuming any alcohol prior to this event. Your partnership in this regard is appreciated.

Thanks for reading. Looking forward to your comments.

The Fraser Report

2011-05-15T11:57:00.001-04:00

The 2009-2010 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 are now ranked at the top of our board and sixth in all of Halton.

CtK achieved a score of 7.8/10. Overall, in the Province of Ontario, we ranked 79/727 Secondary Schools.

In the area of Grade 9 Academic Math, CtK's average level was 3.0 on a scale of 1-4. In the area of Grade 9 Applied Math, our average level was 2.6 on a scale of 1-4.

With respect to the OSSLT, we had a 94.1% success rate.

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. Specifically, the percentage of students that were not successful on the literacy test and did not achieve the standard of at least a level 3 on the Math Assessment. Our percentage has fallen every year and is now at 15.5%. This indicates that more and more of our students are meeting the standard in the OSSLT and EQAO Math Assessment.

http://ontario.compareschoolrankings.org/secondary/Christ_the_King_Catholic_Secondary_School/Georgetown/Report_Card.aspx

As a Commerce graduate, the analysis of data and the use of it to drive our school improvement planning is something of which I spend a great deal of time. Some of my colleagues and staff would concur. Our board and even the Ministry of Education stresses the importance of "data-driven" decision-making.

I am the first to acknowledge that the Fraser Report doesn't provide the entire picture of what many would deem a successful school. While it may provide a piece of the very complicated puzzle that defines a school's success, it doesn't measure credit accumulation, graduation, retention and pass rates for example. These are key data pieces that schools use to monitor success.

However, what about the intangibles? How do you effectively measure the success of a school in nurturing variables such as compassion, resiliency, creativity, critical thinking, happiness, self-esteem, school spirit, and equity? I suppose data can help you gleam suppositions of these variables and surveys may provide some insight but there is always a certain probability of error and bias. In many cases, these pieces can only be ascertained through anecdotal evidence and through relationship building.

How does one truly measure our cultural monolith...Catholic Leadership Conference... held every year during Catholic Education Week? Our Catholic Learning Community just knows that it is a very important and famously successful initiative because of what we see, hear and feel during this event.

How does one truly measure the success of our inaugural Grade 8 Sleepover this past weekend? How will we be able to ascertain what impact this will have on these incoming Grade 9 students with respect to their success in our school over the next four or five years?

Maybe the email from a parent the night of this event thanking me for allowing the sleepover to occur and citing what a wonderful impact it had on her son is all we need to measure our success?

Below is an article from the NY Times that addresses the obsession with data.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/23/your-money/23shortcuts.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=alina%20tugend&st=cse

Thanks for reading. Looking forward to your comments.

Happy Mother's Day!

2011-05-08T14:45:00.004-04:00

The beauty of the Lord abides in a mother’s love.

Mothers are often the back bone and essence of every family.

Mothers nurture, protect, instill confidence, love and provide guidance and direction.

Mothers tend to be the primary caregiver and as such often further entrench the inherent bond with their children.

Where there is a happy father, I can assure you that the odds are very good that there is a mother that has profoundly had a hand in this happiness.

Mothers are so significant to families that their loss is felt deeply regardless of our age. To these families, my prayers and thoughts go out to you on this day in particular.

Let me sign off with acknowledging Mary, Jesus' mother. We should keep in mind that when we pray the Rosary, we are praying WITH Mary to Jesus.

Thanks for reading. Looking forward to your comments.

Virtual Voting

2011-05-01T16:36:00.000-04:00

I was listening to the Mike Stafford morning show on AM 640. His topic addressed whether or not we should be given the opportunity to vote online for the federal election. This service was available for the first time in Burlington, Ontario for our 2010 Municipal Elections. Did I vote online? Not this time.

What about you? Would you vote online?

Stafford had a flurry of listeners call in to give their opinions. With no surprise, the feedback flipped back and forth in favour or not in favour of being able to vote online.

Proponents argued that due to our fast pace, facebook, twitter, "bbm" ing, texting society, such a service would be well received and dramatically increase the participation rate of voting by Canadians.

Opponents argued that has society decayed that much that we were unable to personally go to a voting station and place our vote? This would allow for intensive reflection regarding the merits of the candidates and who would inevitably be their choice. These people cited that online voters would not give the time required to make conscientious decisions. In fact, they worried that the fringe groups like the Rhinoceros Party (still hovering in Quebec according to Stafford) would get a ton of votes due to the ease of pointing and clicking online.

Below is a link to the podcast of this show if you are interested.

http://www.640toronto.com/HostsandShows/MikeStafford/Audio.aspx

Thanks for reading. Looking forward to your comments.

"21 Things That Will Be Obsolete by 2020"

2011-04-24T21:19:00.001-04:00

No desks? No Homework? Differentiated Instruction As A Sign of A Distinguished Teacher?

These are some of the twenty one predictions in a recent Mind/Shift online article by Shelly Blake-Plock that was inspired by Sandy Speicher's vision of the designed school day of the future.

What about no computers? I do agree with the author that mobile computing will exponentially grow over the decade in terms of use and technological enhancements which will render the demand for the computer desktop to fall appreciably....to the point of total elimination....I doubt it. One could argue that geo-socio-economic variables will still create "have and have not" school communities. Also, there are huge network and security issues with students getting access to and sharing school information and data online with their own personal devices.

This is a great article because there are posted comments for which the author has responded. The article is on the link below.

http://mindshift.kqed.org/2011/03/21-things-that-will-be-obsolete-by-2020/

Thanks for reading. Looking forward to your comments.

"Inside the Sin Bin"....there is an app for that!

2011-04-17T15:09:00.000-04:00

This Sunday's edition of the Toronto Star had a very interesting article on how Catholics rush to confession to cleanse their souls.

The feature writer, Mary Ormsby, goes into great detail regarding the origins, history, sequence and purpose of confession.

Catholics are expected to make a confession at least once a year. The practice has dropped off dramatically as many priests would concede. However, Easter represents a time for renewal and brings with it many Catholics who have the need to participate in the sacrament of reconciliation.

I do get a sense of relief and re-birth after going to confession. I am not sure if that is a result of meeting the standards of the Catholic Church, my Italian mother, or coming to terms with my own conscience.

What caught my eye in this article is that there is an app for helping one prepare for confessions! For some reason I was not surprised. I downloaded it for $1.99 onto my iPad.

The app allows me to customize the examination of my conscience by adding sins, traking time of my last confession and choosing from seven different Acts of Contrition.

Here is the article if you are interested.

http://www.thestar.com/news/insight/article/975909--confession-the-inside-view

Thanks for reading. Looking forward to your comments. As an aside, mid-term reports will be distributed this Thursday, April 21, 2011.

School Field Trips

2011-04-10T13:16:00.001-04:00

One of the things that I am most proud of is our staff’s compassion and caring for our students. The evidence …. our very successful student success and mental health strategies….our credit accumulation and pass rates….and more importantly…the student testimonials and many unadvertised cases of how we have truly made a difference in our students’ lives.

Many of our students come to CtK for a home…for attention….for care….for compassion…for direction…for mentorship…and most importantly and based on why we do what we do…for a holistic education as Christ in the nucleus.

We need to keep in mind that every staff member in our building is part of a complex system that implicitly and explicitly prepares the students under our care for their journey beyond CtK.

Experiential learning through school sanctioned field trips are part of this educational process.

The purpose of this blog is to address a concern from staff that some of our students seem to think that they are not responsible for the work that they miss and consequently should not be assessed on this material as a result.

As parents/guardians, please make every effort to remind your children that they are responsible for the work that they miss as a result of a school field trip in another class.

Be assured that our staff will work with students to make alternate arrangements to complete the missed assessment or work as a result of going on a sanctioned field trip. It is our hope that your children will understand their partnership in this process.

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

Goldfish

2011-04-03T18:42:00.000-04:00

School Generated Funds, school buses, board policy, teachers, suspension appeals, curriculum, assessment and evaluation practices, gay/straight alliances, school closures on a snow day, the parking position of the school buses overnight in our parking lot ..........and now goldfish!

I received an email from a student this weekend that questioned if our school will be more responsible with the care of goldfish at this year's Summer Blast Carnival in June.

We gave out goldfish to children at last year's Carnival as prizes. Apparently, this concerned student thought that it was a cruel and inhumane way to treat goldfish. Specifically, she cited that "fish are living, sentient creatures....and that it has been scientifically proven that they can feel pain in the same ways as humans. I see absolutely no reason that our students would need to be given a living creature in order to have fun. The thought that students take them home, put them in a lake or a river, flush them down the toilet, of put them in a bowl until they die makes me sick."

I shared her thoughts with some of my staff whose children received goldfish last year. Surprisingly, the fish are still alive on all counts!

I appreciate the young lady's concerns as our family has a horrible record of keeping our goldfish alive for any decent period of time.

That said....I will bring up this worry to our team as I do the majority of questions that I get from students, parents and/or community stakeholders.

Thanks for reading. Looking forward to your thoughts....How are your goldfish doing???

Catholics Come Home

2011-03-27T19:57:00.000-04:00

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"

2011-03-20T21:05:00.000-04:00

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!

2011-03-13T17:21:00.001-04:00

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

2011-03-06T11:34:00.003-05:00

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

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

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

Educational Assistant Appreciation Day

2011-02-27T18:36:00.000-05:00

We do make a difference!

Monday, February 28, 2011 is Educational Assistant Appreciation Day. The theme of the day is cited above.

We have ten wonderful Educational Assistants (EAs). These "unsung" heroes are deployed through our Department Head of Special Education. Educational practice cites that EAs are assigned to the needs of our developmentally delayed students first and foremost in conjunction with teaching staff. That said, there are many occasions where our EAs are working with other at risk students within the classrooms of our school in association with our teachers.

What does an EA do with these students?

They care for them physically, psychologically, emotionally and academically. Our EAs do this through love, compassion, care and dignity. EAs coach, are members of our Catholic School Council and have a voice in the direction of the needs of our special education students.

In short...they "do make a difference" in the lives of our most exceptional students in the school. Their contributions to our Catholic Learning Community are invaluable.

On behalf of the staff, support staff, students and parents of Christ the King Catholic Secondary School, I would like to extend a sincere thank you to our Educational Assistants for all of the work that you do in relative anonymity.

iPad Pilot Study at CtK

2011-02-20T20:24:00.000-05:00

Our school has been approved through 21st Century Learning funding to run a pilot study with a class set of iPads!

In a nutshell, a cohort of students taking Grade 9 Applied Math and English, of which some have exceptionalities, will be given the opportunity to use iPads in a cross-curricular effort. The students' attendance and achievement will be measured before, during and after the use of the iPads.

So the question is....does technology make learning easier, more efficient or more motivating?

There have been widespread claims to this effect.

We will find out with our pilot study. Our students and staff will complete a survey that addresses the ease, efficiency and motivation issues.

Either way, it is my opinion that ease and efficiency should not be the leading criteria for advocating and implementing computer technology in schools. I assert that to produce more meaningful learning, computer technologies need to be designed according to sound learning theories and pedagogy.

Thanks for reading. Looking forward to your comments. Happy Family Day tomorrow!

Christ the King C.S.S. to be honoured with the Dr. Bette M. Stephenson Recognition of Achievement

2011-02-13T13:30:00.000-05:00

The Education Quality and Accountability Office (EQAO) will be honouring Christ the King Catholic Secondary School on February 22, 2011, with the Dr. Bette M. Stephenson Recognition of Achievement.

This honour will be presented in recognition of the school community’s dedication to student achievement and use of provincial assessment results to improve student learning, as well as the school’s leadership, positive attitude and sincere effort to help every student succeed.

As the Principal of Christ the King, I am very fortunate to have such an exemplary array of shared leadership, teaching and support staff that not only believe in our vision but model it in every aspect within our Catholic Learning Community.

A special thank you is extended to our wonderful students and parents who without their dedication, prepartion and support, this special recognition of our collective efforts would not be possible.

Please refer to the link below for more details regarding our literacy, numeracy and data-driven instructional, assessment and evaluation strategies.

http://www.hcdsb.org/News/Pages/2011-02-07-Christ-the-King-Catholic-Secondary-School-in-Georgetown-to-be-Honoured-by-EQAO.aspx

Thank you for reading. Looking forward to your comments.

Shepherd Leadership

2011-02-05T20:50:00.000-05:00

Isn't this photo from LIFE worth a thousand words?! It inspired me to mention a book that I have recently read.

Specifically, our board has embraced a book called Shepherd Leadership that gleams the wisdom for leaders from King David's Psalm 23.

The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want;
He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters;
He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake.
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil; for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me.
Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of my enemies; thou anointest my head with oil, my cup overflows.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.

The authors, Blaine McCormick and David Davenport parse each verse and draw leadership analogies to how a shepherd tends to its flock and how a leader interacts with those that are under his/her charge.

I will refrain from citing all the key messages from this book because I hope that you will read it. However, I will touch upon one key message which alludes to the picture and to the most important function that we have as educators for our children.

"Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me."

We are behooved to lead and protect our disenfranchised and/or wayward students with courage and compassion so that we not only role model for them but nurture the resiliency required to effectively meet life's challenges.

Thank you for reading. Looking forward to your comments.

Thank You Notes

2011-01-30T18:52:00.000-05:00

When was the last time you sent someone a hand written thank you note?

Has social networking on Facebook, texting, instant messaging and email all but eradicated this act of sentimentality?

Sending hand written thank you notes was covered on my favourite TV show, CBS Sunday Morning. They interviewed a man that wrote a book about the 365 thank you notes that he sent last year; called "365 Thank You Notes." He cited that the hand written thank you notes literally made him feel better and brought better relationships into his life.

I think it still holds tremendous value in sending someone a personal hand written note acknowledging a good deed, a job well done, or a friendship for example.

Our staff sends out "Good News Postcards" to students. This Postcard was the brain child of our wonderful Student Success Teacher, Mrs. Patterson. These cards acknowledge any positive behaviour one could imagine.

From my perspective, I have sent out notes to students for high achievement levels or for something as simple as achieving all of their credits in a school year or for just doing a good deed. Each student has a different story which would dictate the message on the card. I have received positive feedback from the students that received the cards and even more feedback from their parents. Why?

People still have a true appreciation for the time and effort that it takes to write a note to someone else. This is why I have sent hand written notes to staff in the past. As well, I hand sign report cards and often add notes on them......all 1600 or so in the first semester.

People like to feel and touch the hand written word and just get more sentiment out of this mode of communication than a Facebook message or a Tweet. At least...this is my opinion.

Go ahead....send someone your best wishes.....you will both benefit.

Thanks for reading. Looking forward to you thoughts and comments. As an aside, Semester I Report Cards will be distributed to students on the 4th of February.

Childhood Obesity

2011-01-23T18:08:00.000-05:00

Over the last 25 years, there has been an alarming rise in the proportion of overweight and obese children. Obesity rates among children and youth have nearly tripled during this period. It is an issue that affects children everywhere in Canada. Like tobacco use, obesity substantially increases the risk of developing some of the most debilitating chronic diseases; obesity contributes to type 2 diabetes, cancer and cardiovascular disease.

The Government of Canada has taken to help Canadian children live healthy lifestyles including:

The Children's Fitness Tax Credit
Eat Well and Be Active Toolkit &
The Nutrition Facts Education Campaign

The Ontario Ministry of Education has created a Healthy Schools Recognition Program where schools can apply for a Healthy Schools Recognition Certificate. Schools are required to submit an acceptance form whereby they pledge to undertake at least one healthy school initiative.

Our school will be applying this year as we have always implemented a myriad of initiatives that speak to the physical fitness and well being of our students. Most notably, our breakfast program in partnership with Halton Food For Thought and our Inside Ride Campaign. The former provides a healthy breakfast of raw cut oatmeal and fruit and the latter includes a large population of our Catholic Learning Community that spins for over an hour in teams in an effort to fundraise for cancer research. (Please note that our school has just been approved to deliver a Health and Physical Education Specialist High Skills Major for the 2011-2012 school year. See Guidance for details.)

We are also applying for a special grant that will allow at-risk students to spin for an hour first thing in the morning while monitoring their heart rates in an effort to improve their physical well being. This class will allow them to exercise and achieve a Health and Physical Education credit. We will also ensure that key courses such as English, Math and/or Science directly follow this first period class. Research findings cited from a wonderful book called "Spark" by Dr. Ratey, indicate that they will fare better in such courses right after exercise as opposed to any other time in the day.

He chronicles the positive effects that aerobic exercise has on the brain which in turn positively impacts, stress, depression, dementia, hormones and ADD/ADHD. Since more difficult classes such as math and science take place right after the aerobic exercise, there will be enough time to take advantage of the benefits of this exercise before it dissipates.

Dr. Ratey states scientific research indicates that aerobic exercise improves an individual's mental ccognition, takes the edge off by balancing the key attention, behavioural and motivational neurotransmitters of serotonin, dopamine and norepinephrine. This will in turn improve academic success in courses such as English, Math and/or Science as the brain is in its optimum mode to receive and synthesis information.

Oh an by the way, have you heard about the soon to be implemented Policy/Program Memorandum No. 150? This is a beauty! It is the new School Food and Beverage Policy for September 2011. It will directly impact what schools in elementary and secondary sell to our children. Schools will need to account for what they sell by following a stringent formula that includes essential nutrients and lower amounts of fat, sugar and/or sodium. More to come on this topic. Just to leave you with the type of impact this may have on school commissions derived from cafeteria and school store sales that go directly back into the educational needs of our students...the following list are some of the products no longer allowed for sale in schools....

all soft drinks diet or otherwise
all sports drinks
french fries
cream cheese
bagels
chocolate bars and all candy
chips
anything that is fried

Our fear is that students will just leave the building in droves during lunch to go to nearby fast food franchises to indulge despite the Ministry of Education's efforts to instill environments promoting healthy lifestyles.

Thanks for reading. Looking forward to your comments.

Principal Opposes Academic and Co-curricular Awards

2011-01-16T19:56:00.004-05:00

I was listening to a Toronto talk show on the way home from one of my daughter's basketball games. I caught the end of the show which was debating the merits of recognizing students for academic and co-curricular awards. The talk show host was interviewing a Principal and had a panel discussing the merits of such a system in our schools.

In a nutshell, the Principal opposed awarding students at the end of a school year as it "alienates and adversely affects the self-esteem of the students who did not receive awards."

As I mulled over the opinions tossed around on the show, it did not change my opinion.

I believe in a system of awards as long as it embraces student success.

Two of our governing values revolves around continuous improvement and a commitment to excellence. We articulate that this may differ between students. Our expectation is that everyone (staff, support staff and students) gives their very best everyday.

Success is relative and can materialize in different forms depending on the student.

For example, student A could be an honour roll student who culminates his academic career with the Governor's General Award. Student B could be a great athlete who ends up winning Athlete of the Year. Student C could be a student who came from difficult personal circumstances. With the help of a caring teaching staff, interventions from the student success team, hard work from the student and financial help from the school, Student C achieves enough credits to graduate. A goal that seemed like an impossibility two years ago.

The key is to create an environment that celebrates its student achievements in different ways. Students in our Catholic Learning Environment understand that such recognition takes place in many different forms.

Thanks for reading. Looking forward to your comments.

A Going Concern at CtK: The Inappropriate Use of Technology

2011-01-09T18:06:00.001-05:00

Dear Parents:

I am concerned.

For the last three years, our school has initiated the following to deal with an increasing and disturbing trend that combines bullying, harassment, and intimidation with cell phone technology and Facebook.

We have:

Updated the student's knowledge on how to safeguard themselves from vulnerable and predatory situations on Facebook and Twitter through presentations from Chris Vollum. Mr. Vollum is provincially renowned for his work in elementary and secondary schools in this field.
Spoken to our students at every grade assembly at the start of every semester regarding such issues. In addition, we outline the possible disciplinary consequences from the school and the police.
Constantly reminded students on the morning announcements about their moral and ethical responsibilities regarding the proper use of technology in our Catholic Learning Community.
Blocked access to Facebook and virtually all sites that would be in breach of our Catholic values on school property (e.g. pornographic sites, violent games etc).
Implemented an array of anti-bullying strategies that involve guest speakers, chaplaincy initiatives, teacher/student interactive activities, student led activities and of course our curriculum.

Moreover, a large component of our School Improvement Plan (http://www.ctk.ca/) is dedicated to the mental and emotional well being of our students.

This area of student need is not going away and students will continue to make very poor choices in how they treat one another using social network sites and cell phone technology.

I chat with my colleagues regarding the pros/cons of technology and what is imperative to be instilled in our students for the opportunities in the 21st Century. Cell phone technology and its use in the classroom is a controversial topic. While I am on the fence, many people that I have spoken to regarding this topic are vehemently opposed. "Teenagers just can't be trusted with their cell phones in a learning environment" is the common retort.

Ladies and Gentlemen, it is hard to argue with such a response in light of what has been happening at our school and those across the province. Below is an article regarding cell phones in the classroom.

http://www2.scholastic.com/browse/article.jsp?id=3754972

Thank you for reading. Looking forward to your thoughts and comments.

Christmas.....Boxing Day....New Years.....More Debt!

2011-01-01T20:50:00.000-05:00

Have you checked your Visa or MasterCard balances lately?

All the major newspapers had articles alluding to another bulging item other than our waist lines......our debt!

The average household debt-to-income ratio has recently ballooned to 148.1% in Canada. In other words, Canadians owe $1.48 for every dollar they earn. This is outrageous!!! We are statistically worse than our neighbours to the south! You know....the same people whose financial and housing markets imploded!

Has our society gone away from delayed gratification to immediate gratification? Is our society spending irresponsibly because of our voracious appetite for the biggest, the best, and/or the newest products on the market? Are we as parents spoiling our children in the same manner?

It is obvious that the average Canadian either doesn't care about money management or is in dire need of financial counselling. What message have we been sending our children? Are they being taught anything regarding the value of money....other than conspicuous consumption?

As a former business teacher, I was incredulous when the Harris government changed the diploma requirements for students by making a business credit one of several elective options instead of a previously required credit. This death blow to business departments in secondary schools across the province now created a progressively declining demand situation for several courses that would teach the importance of and strategies for money management.

Is there a need for a money management or financial planning introductory course in secondary school? Is there a prudent argument against it in light of our debt load? How often have you had discussions with your children about the gentle balance between saving and spending? With three daughters, I have had many discussions! Sometimes I think it is an uphill battle.

As school boards develop blue prints for 21st Century Learning skills, it would behoove them to ensure that financial literacy sits in the same prominent position as social and communication literacy skills.

Thank you for reading. Looking forward to your comments. Please visit our website at www.ctk.ca for information regarding our school improvement plan, school profile and safe schools plan.

Happy Holidays? Happy Solstice?

2010-12-11T20:51:00.000-05:00

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"

2010-12-05T15:38:00.000-05:00

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

2010-11-28T20:00:00.001-05:00

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!

2010-11-21T20:37:00.000-05:00

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

2010-11-14T20:02:00.001-05:00

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

2010-11-07T13:15:00.000-05:00

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

2010-10-31T14:13:00.000-04:00

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!

2010-10-24T21:03:00.000-04:00

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

2010-10-17T20:56:00.000-04:00

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

2010-10-10T21:21:00.000-04:00

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!

2010-10-03T19:57:00.000-04:00

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

2010-09-26T20:37:00.000-04:00

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?!

2010-09-19T13:46:00.000-04:00

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

2010-09-12T20:38:00.000-04:00

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!

2010-09-05T17:21:00.000-04:00

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.

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!

2010-06-27T18:21:00.000-04:00

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

2010-06-20T19:12:00.000-04:00

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!

2010-06-13T16:08:00.000-04:00

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

2010-06-06T12:31:00.000-04:00

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"

2010-05-29T21:53:00.000-04:00

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"

2010-05-23T20:44:00.000-04:00

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

2010-05-16T07:39:00.000-04:00

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

2010-05-09T19:46:00.000-04:00

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

2010-05-02T21:48:00.000-04:00

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

2010-04-25T19:08:00.000-04:00

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

2010-04-18T20:43:00.000-04:00

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

2010-04-11T20:37:00.000-04:00

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

2010-04-04T21:15:00.000-04:00

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

2010-03-28T21:01:00.000-04:00

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

2010-03-21T16:09:00.000-04:00

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

2010-03-14T22:37:00.000-04:00

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."

CtK Cares Foundation

2010-03-07T18:00:00.000-05:00

My Sunday morning ritual usually includes the CBS Sunday Morning Show with Charles Osgood.

My wife tells me that I am enamoured with this show due to the exhilarating trumpet introduction. This is predicated on the fact that I am a huge fan of brass instruments and played the tuba from Grade 7 to Grade 13. She may be right?

In any event, I love this show primarily due to the eclectic stories that are presented. Stories that hit every emotional chord...stories from the sublime to the ridiculous....stories that are political, social, economic and entertaining...stories that happen in our backyard to the far reaches of our globe.

One segment on this week's show addressed actor Sean Penn and his effort to help the nation of Haiti recover from the devastating earthquake that took place in January. You see him with his two children physically bringing in food, medical supplies, medical personnel, building materials and apparently over one million dollars in cash in nap sacks for immediate infusion into the Haitian economic recovery efforts. He joked that his own monetary contributions have precipitated the need to find work in Hollywood very soon.

The interviewer asked him about what his thoughts were regarding the skeptics who wondered what his ulterior motives were. His response that "the greatest gift from service to others is the act of serving" clearly indicated that he wanted his actions to stand on their own and felt that he was not required to justify why he felt compelled to help.

Originating from our own students with the support of key staff members, CtK has created our own "act of service" known as the CtK Cares Foundation. In a nut shell, this foundation uses the proceeds from civvies, fundraisers, volunteer services and community pledges to give back to those within our own Catholic Learning Community and in the community of Georgetown.

Similar to Mr. Penn, our justification as a faith based learning community is the act of serving those most in need.

Thanks for reading.

Character

2010-03-01T23:07:00.000-05:00

I spent most of my weekend in school gymnasiums watching my three daughters play basketball. It was during a game at Barton Secondary School in Hamilton where I noticed a quotation from a former principal that was adorning their scoreboard. It stated that "sport doesn't build character....it reveals it." Our Canadian Olympic Athletes revealed their character from the moment the games began to the final punctuation mark with Sidney Crosby's mythical goal! Character that emanated perseverance, an exemplary work ethic, attention to detail and a commitment to excellence.

I can't help but draw parallels to what we espouse in our Catholic Learning Community. The inspiration drawn from the character revealed from our Olympic Athletes should motivate us to do our very best.

To our Grade 12 graduating students....how will you reveal your character as you punctuate your final year!?

To our Grade 11 students...will you reveal your character in the form of our potential student leaders?!

To our Grade 10 students...will you reveal your character in eclipsing the excellence your predecessors established in last year's OSSLT?!

To our Grade 9 students...will you reveal your character in setting levels of achievement in the EQAO Math Assessment that will be the standard to match for years to come?!

In the end, your character will define who you are, what you value and what you are prepared to do.

Thank you for reading my first blog. New blogs will be posted at the beginning of every week. 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 the Catholic Learning Community at CtK!