ST. JOSEPH HIGH SCHOOL
September 25, 2008
Newsletter #1
Telephone: 659-7650 Fax: 659-2173 Rick Rowley, Principal
Attendance Desk: 659-7656 Arch McKay, Assistant Principal
Website: www.gscs.sk.ca/joe/ Brandon Stroh, Assistant Principal
PRINCIPAL’S MESSAGE
We have been back at school now for twenty-one days and it’s hard to believe that September is almost over. We are all back into the routines of school and the school start up went quite smoothly. I hope everyone had a peaceful, restful, enjoyable summer.
A special, warm welcome to all the new students and families to St. Joseph High School. We are glad that you have chosen our great school and we hope that the experiences you have here are all positive. Welcome back to the returning students and families. We hope you have a super year.
Following are the new staff members to St. Joseph High School this year:
Mrs. Wendy Baranitsky Mrs. Tracey Closson
Ms. Brittany Fouhse Mr. Kim Lendvay
Ms. Kathy Ponto Mrs. Carla Puetz Aaro
Also, welcome back to Mrs. Lindsay Patola, who has returned from maternity leave.
As well, we would like to welcome 4 interns who will be working with our teachers and students this semester:
Ms. Rachel Anderson working with Mrs. Reider
Mrs. Jessica Anderson working with Mr. Zambon
Ms. Caitlin Hutchinson working with Mrs. Harris
Mr. Ciprian Raducanu working with Mr. Hicke
On behalf of all the staff at St. Joseph High School, again, welcome back for another school year. Thank you for your continued support and we look forward to working together to make this an enjoyable and rewarding year for your son or daughter.
Reflection
One evening an elder told his grandson about a debate that goes on inside of people. He said, “My son, the battle is between 2 ‘wolves’ that are inside all of us.
One is Evil. It is anger, envy, jealousy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority and ego.
The other is Good. It is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion and faith.”
The grandson thought about this for a minute and then asked his grandfather, “Which wolf wins?”
The elder simply replied, “The one you feed.”
With thanks to Jim Jelinski
CHAPLAIN’S MESSAGE
In his homily at our school’s Welcome Mass, Fr. David issued us a challenge. He challenged us at St. Joseph High School to live up to our name and be true Guardians. He noted that being a Guardian is no small nor easy task. It requires patience and kindness. It requires trust and love. It requires compassion and humility. Many times in our world it is easier to use force and violence to achieve our goals but that is not the way of the Guardian. Rather, Guardians are called to preserve, protect and to guard. This year, as a school, we hope to explore what it truly means to be a Guardian in the model of St. Joseph. We will regularly ask ourselves, what do we need to preserve? Whom do we need to protect, and from what should we be on guard? As a school we will live up to our name as Guardians of each other, of our school, and of the broader community.
St. Joseph; pray for us.
Jason Cody, Teacher Chaplain
GUARDIAN WATCH
Fall Academic Awards
Fall Academic Awards will take place on Wednesday, October 8th at 10:45 AM. Students that have achieved an award will receive a letter of notification. All parents are welcome.
Student Representative Council
Congratulations and thank you to this year’s SRC for hosting a fantastic Welcome Week. On behalf of all staff and students, we would like to extend our appreciation to the following students for their hard work and Guardian spirit:
Advisors: Mr. Cratty, Ms. Kot, Mrs. Muggeridge, and Mme Kelln
Co-Presidents: Zachary Carter and Matt Pilipiak
Treasurer: Mitch Wrishko
Secretary/Returning Officer: Breanne Swarbrick
Director of Clubs: Jocelynn Nadeau
Spirit Director: Kaitlyn Schick
Liturgy and Life Director: Kalyn Harasymchuk
Technical Director: Jordan Morris
Public Relations Director: Lindsay Tenaski
Athletic Director: Erin Grant
Grade Representatives
Gr. 12: Janelle Povey, Amanda Hyshka, Jessica Neufeld, Erin Lang, Anapaula Campos
Gr. 11: Alyssa Gartner, Danielle Stephens, Matt Mercier, Erinn Blue, Travis Veszeli
Gr. 10: Jana-Lyn Kotlar, Danielle Sanche, Christina Sitkowski, Keaira Koroluk, Rebecca Miller
Gr. 9: Vanessa LaFleche, Ariel Coté, Brooke Lang, Hailey Wrishko, Nicolette Rieger
Exchange Student from Quebec
St. Joseph High School is pleased to welcome our exchange student from Québec, Léane Morin. Léane will be a student with us for three months to work on her English language skills. Her “twin”, Jenna Johnston, will be going to Québec for three months after Christmas to participate in the exchange.
AROUND OUR SCHOOL
Parent / Teacher Interviews
Please note that Parent/Teacher Interviews are scheduled for Thursday, October 23rd and Friday, October 24th. Thursday’s interviews will take place from 1:30 PM – 4:30 PM and 6:00 PM – 9:00 PM. Friday’s interviews will take place from 1:00 PM until 3:30 PM. There will be no school for students on Friday, October 24th. Please refer to the enclosed green form for more information regarding the booking of interviews.
Staff Retreat
There will be no school for students on Friday, October 10th. Staff will be on retreat.
Student Fees
Invoices for student fees were sent home with students on September 17th. Please note fees are due by October 3rd.
Attendance/Marks
Parents are invited to monitor their children’s attendance and progress. Once you have registered your e-mail account with St. Joseph High School, log on to the Greater Saskatoon Catholic School website – www.gscs.sk.ca
When connected to the site:
1. Click on “Learning Services”
2. Click on “Parent Access to Their Students’ Information”
3. Enter your email address (First time login, click reset password, then follow instructions.)
St. Joseph High School Parent Guardian Group Catholic School Community Council
Elections for the positions of Chairperson, Vice-Chair, Secretary and Treasurer for the St. Joseph High School Parent Guardian Group Catholic School Community Council will be held on Wed., October 8th at 7:00 PM at St. Joseph High School. If you are interested in letting your name stand for one of these positions, please contact the school before the 8th of October.
SRC Initiatives
On Monday, September 29, St. Joseph High School will be having its annual Terry Fox Walk to raise money for research and awareness about cancer. The walk will take place during TGG beginning at 10:30 AM. Students may be coming by to ask for your support. Thank you for supporting this initiative.
On Friday, October 31, St. Joseph High School will be hosting its third annual Halloweening for Hunger. This year, we are working in partnership with the University of Saskatchewan Student Union’s Trick or Treat initiative. Students from St. Joseph High School will be canvassing the neighborhoods of Willowgrove, Erindale, Arbor Creek, Silverspring and the north side of Forest Grove between the hours of 5:00 and 9:00 pm. University students will be canvassing the remaining areas. Please give non-perishable food items. If you are not going to be home or your street is missed you can drop off your donation at St. Joseph High School anytime Monday to Friday between 8:00 and 4:00 the week of October 27-31 or on Monday, November 3 between 8:00 and 3:30. Thank you for your anticipated support and generosity.
Driver Education
If a student does not make his or her scheduled drive appointment, he or she will have to make it up after school or on weekends.
A.C.T.
A.C.T. is the social justice club at St. Joseph High school which raises awareness of justice issues in our world and calls on our Guardian family to help bring about justice. We are always open to new members and have begun to plan our activities for the year. Our first major A.C.T.ion will be our “Stand Up Against Poverty” event on Friday, October 17th when our whole Guardian family will join with millions of people around the world to pressure governments to live up to their Millennium Goals and eliminate extreme poverty by 2015. This is also a chance to break a Guinness World Record for the most people standing up at one time. On October 17th, please join us in being Guardians of the rights of our global family by wearing white, buying a make poverty history bracelet or check-out the make poverty history website for more information at www.makepovertyhistory.ca. Staff Contacts: Jason Cody, Elaine Muggeridge or Larraine Ratzlaff.
St. Joseph English as an Additional Language Program
The staff in the St. Joseph English as an Additional Language Program is looking for volunteer tutors. The Saskatoon Open Door is partnering with our schools to provide volunteer tutors in all areas of academics and language development. Our new-to-Canada students require additional one-on-one that cannot be provided during the regular school day. These volunteers will help provide extra supports so our students have every opportunity to be successful in their new country and new life. The tutoring will take place at St. Joseph H.S. from approximately 3:30 – 4:30 daily. Volunteers are invited to commit one hour per week (minimum) to work one-on-one with a student. Volunteers should have strong English skills and competency in a subject area and should be university age or older. The areas of need are: basic language development and all grade levels of maths, sciences, language arts, Christian Ethics and history. Computer skills would be an asset. Some training will be provided by the EAL teacher, but an orientation session will also be offered at the Open Door Society. As with all volunteer programs, you will be asked to provide a criminal records check. For more information and/or to register, contact Larraine Ratzlaff or Elaine Muggeridge at St. Joseph High School (659-7679). We’d love to hear from you.
EAL/International Student Program
St. Joseph Guardians would like to welcome our newest Guardians in the EAL/International Student Program. We’re so glad you chose Canada and Saskatoon.
Faezah Alizadeh
Marjan Alizadeh
Pedro Armando Bocchini
Merna Behjat
Jez Claver
Milla Escanhoela Salvador
Javier Gonzalez Muniz
Priscilla Gutierrez De la Cruz
Xin Tian Han
Anmir Kamil
Noor Kamil
Lucy Kang
Steve Koka
Stephanie Koka
Karla Lara Rosales
Ana Cristina Medellin Gallegos
Ana Paulina Medellin Gallegos
Kaho Oki
Ana Luisa Payan Cano)
Roberto Riestra Ruiz
Dominick Rios Martinez
Mai Shibata
Chihiro Shimamura
BingNa Sun
Carlos Vargas Becerra
Carmen Wong
Vanessa Xavier Lau
Jason Zhou
Tom Zhou
St. Joseph High School Idle Free Zone
A vehicle idling for ten minutes a day uses more than 100 litres of gasoline per year. By turning engines off at schools, parents can be part of the solution and experience a substantial financial savings, too!
Studies by Health Canada have shown a direct link between contaminants in vehicle emissions and significant respiratory health effects. Children are particularly vulnerable to air pollution, especially those with asthma because they breathe faster than adults and inhale more air per kilogram of body weight.
For more information on climate change, resources and opportunities, visit: www.climatechangesask.ca.
International Student Program Host Families Wanted
The Greater Saskatoon Catholic Schools operates an international program in several schools throughout our system. This program brings the world to our students. It helps them to see differing world views and promotes understanding, peace and harmony. Our students are able to form world-wide friendships and networking opportunities.
A fundamental cornerstone of the international program is the homestay experience. It is an integral part of the program because of the sharing of culture, family and language. We need host families in all areas of the city. Hosting a student is an exciting cultural exchange. The students reimburse the family $600 a month.
For information please call the International office at 659-7688, Ron Muench at 227-9832, Sharon Tkachuk at 221-3160, or Jean Bosch at 659-7693. Our homestay manual can be found at www.gscs.sk.ca/international.
COMMUNITY INFORMATION
Holy Family Parish is celebrating its 50th Anniversay! Join us on Sunday, October 5th at 3:00 PM for mass celebrated by Bishop LeGatt. Catered supper at 5:00 PM with a short program to follow. All activities will be held at St. Joseph High School, 115 Nelson Road. Supper tickets are $10/adult or $30/family and will be available for purchase after each Holy Family mass or from the office at 374-7981.
Office Administrator required by Greater Saskatoon Catholic Schools Foundation. This is a full-time position and requires flexibility. For more information call the Foundation office at 659-7003. Please submit your cover letter by October 3rd to Michel Thibault, Chair, Greater Saskatoon Catholic School Foundation, 420 – 22nd Street E., S7K 1X3.
The Greater Saskatoon Catholic Schools Foundation invites you to our 15th Annual “Share the Spirit” Gala Dinner & Silent Auction on Friday, October 24th at 6:30 PM at the Sheraton Cavalier. Tickets are $110.00 /person ($50.00 tax receipt). For tickets or more information please contact Ev Safronetz at 659-7003.
Canadian Parents for French is offering French courses for adults in Saskatoon. The courses will be held on Tuesday evenings at St. Matthew School. For more information, please contact the St. Joseph French department.
IMPORTANT DATES
October 3 Last day to return Parent/Teacher Interview Forms
October 8 Fall Academic Awards Program – 10:45 AM
Parent Guardian Group (PGG) Meeting – 7:00 PM
October 10 Staff Retreat – No school for students
October 13 Thanksgiving Day (No School)
October 15 Photo Retake Day; Mass (Grade 10) Liturgy (Grades 9, 11, 12)
October 16 – 18 Guardian Cup (Senior Girls Volleyball Tournament)
October 23 Parent/Teacher Interviews – Staff Meeting Schedule
Interviews 1:30 – 4:30 PM and 6:00 PM – 9:00 PM
October 24 Parent/Teacher Interviews 1:00 PM – 3:30 PM
No School for Students
November 5 Take a Student to Work Day (Grade 9’s)
November 6 Staff Meeting Schedule
November 11 Remembrance Day – no school for students
November 12 Mass (Grade 11) Liturgy (Grade 9, 10, 12)
Parent Guardian Group (PGG) Meeting – 7:00 PM
November 14 Report Card Distribution
November 21 Last Day to Discontinue classes for Semester One
December 3 Lenten Penitential Celebration
December 5 School Newsletter