Spartan Speak Newsletter
Lorne Park Secondary School - 1324 Lorne Park Road – Mississauga ON L5H 3B1 - 905-278-6177
Website: lpspartans.ca - Facebook: Lorne Park Secondary - Twitter: @Lorne Park News
February 2015
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Principal's Message
Second semester has started and students here at Lorne Park are settling into new classes.
In the next week not only will students be settling in to new classes with new teachers and new sets of class mates, but you also be receiving the semester one final report card (February 5th).
This is certainly a time of a lot of change and information flow from the school to the home and I would encourage you, that should you have any questions that you take the opportunity to contact the school to get the information you need.
Proactive informed parents are one of the best supports that a student can have. Keeping regular contact with teachers and the school, keeps you informed so that you can assist your child navigate the classes that they face.
I would also encourage parents to keep a regular eye on the school web site. We try to post as much information as we can regarding upcoming events relevant to your child’s educational experience, and the achievements of our students in the academics, arts and sports as we can. The use of the automated phone messaging capability that we call Synervoice is also used to get messages out to families.
With changes in Federal legislation we can only make information calls (and an associated email in most cases), to parents when they have given us written consent to do so. This does not include calls home regarding attendance. If you have not been receiving the information calls (we average about two a month) we may not have your consent on file. Please call the school if you want to receive these calls, to get the consent form and return it to the office.
The start of second semester signals a fresh start for many students. If you concerns regarding attendance, we need to be working together to support our students making the right decision. You can keep yourself informed through the Synervoice attendance calls home that are made daily if a student is absent from class. If you are receiving these calls, please follow up with your child and the school to get to the bottom of what is happening. Repeated calls indicate that there is a problem that needs both the parent and the school to engage in. Parents can also sign up for Parent Web, an on line ability for parents to see their child’s attendance and monitor their credit accumulation. If you have any questions regarding these processes please call the school.
I want to bring you up to date on some of the changes that we have taking place at the school. We have moved many of the photos of previous graduating classes from the Library and have replaced them with displays of student art in the Library. The photos of the graduating classes now decorate the hallways outside the Library.
Our main stage is being completely renovated with new back and side curtains, a refinished floor and the entire stage area painted. We will have a top class performance facility once the work is complete.
With the start of second semester I want to re-emphasize the need for communication. I am working with our staff to encourage them to have regular contact home especially when there is an concern with student progress. I again encourage you to call your child’s teacher or the school if you have questions or need more information.
Peter Hill
UPCOMING EVENTS AT LPSS
Feb. 16th / Family Day HolidayFeb. 19th / Early Release Day – classes end
at 11:00 am
March 5th / Awards Assembly
March 12th / Early Progress Reports go home
March 16 -20 / March Break
March 26th / EQAO Literacy Test
Early Release Day
March 26th / Parent/Teacher Interview night
April 3rd / Good Friday Holiday
April 6th / Easter Monday Holiday
April 13-24 / Education Week
April 15- 17 / Spring Play
May 16th / Mid-term reports go home
FROM SCHOOL COUNCIL
Your School Council Representatives:
Parent Representatives:
Co-Chairs: Alberto Calva
Rose Piacentino
Secretary: Anita Campo
Treasurer: Shabana Ullah
Member: Elaine Bonin
Principal: Peter Hill
Teacher Rep.: Peter Lougheed
Support Staff Rep: Catherine Meaden
Student Reps: Ben Stewart &
Lauren DeSouza
Council met on October 7th, November 4th, December 2nd and February 3rd. Monthly meetings will continue to be held on the first Tuesday of each month. Meetings commence at 7 pm sharp in the Library of LPSS. Everyone is welcome!
Our next meeting will be on Tues. March 3rd.
Meetings include reports from the Principal, Student Council, previous business and new business. There is also time allocated for questions from parents in attendance or communications sent to the school for School Council attention. The meeting minutes will be posted on the school’s website: lpspartans.ca
v Course Selection for 2015-2016:
The course selection process has come to a close for another year.
Ø Many students chose courses for next year without the benefit of taking its prerequisite in semester one. If, as a result of taking a semester two course, a student wishes to alter next year's program, the student must make an appointment to see their Guidance Counsellor before June 1. There will be no 'change of mind' course changes done in September. All students are encouraged to see their counsellor prior to June 1 if they have any questions or concerns about their program for next year.
Ø Automated wait lists are in place with the Peel Board. Students will be automatically placed on wait lists, according to the date they completed their course selections, for any oversubscribed courses. Students requesting program changes prior to June 1 will, if necessary, be placed on wait lists according to the date they were entered into the system by the counselor. It is therefore important that students return Course Change Request forms with parent signatures as soon as possible.
v College Application Update:
The deadline for applying online was Feb. 1st. Applications received after this date may still be considered. Students are encouraged to apply if they have not yet done so. Students applying to college are able to select a maximum of 5 programs. Students can apply to both college and university.
v University Application Update:
The deadline for applying on-line to the Ontario Universities’ Application Centre was January 14th. Applications received after this date may still be considered by the OUAC and distributed to the universities, however, specific deadlines will apply.
Ø The recommended last date for university bound students to make any changes to their
choice of universities/programs was February 3rd. Students planning to make a change after the February 3rd deadline are advised to call Admissions first. Students are reminded to go to the “Review and Change Your Application” at www.ouac.on.ca/101/ to make any changes to university selections or program choices and to view their academic data for accuracy. Any academic errors or omissions must be reported to Counselling immediately.
v Our school board will transmit final marks for first semester and the courses in which students are registered for semester two on Feb. 9th to both the Ontario Universities’ Application Centre and the Ontario Colleges’ Application Centre. Students should plan to check their academic record and report any discrepancies to their Guidance Counsellor.
v Students must be responsible for returning supplemental forms and other documents requested by their post-secondary institutions (including students applying out-of-province).
v Potential Graduates:
All grade 12 students planning to graduate need to confirm that all diploma requirements will be completed by the end of the school year, including the Literacy Test and the 40 hours of Community Service.
Ø Students planning to graduate at the Commencement Exercises in June are asked to submit their 40 Hours of Volunteer Service by Tuesday, June 16, 2015.
v Bulletin boards outside Counselling:
Students are reminded to check the bulletin boards for information on scholarships, volunteer opportunities and summer job posting.
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Summer school information becomes available in the Guidance Office mid to late April. Registration timelines will be available at that time.
Automated Wait Lists: If classes are full students will be put on wait lists according to the date they register for summer school. If you think you may need to attend summer school it is better to apply in May than to wait until June and be disappointed when classes are
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Co-Op Education
Congratulations to the Cooperative Education students who successfully completed their 15th and final week at their work placements. Co-op students are given the opportunity to explore a career while earning credits, but more importantly they have the chance to enhance their employability skills and gain greater confidence in making career choices for the future.
Many of our first semester students were interested in exploring careers in the TRADES this term. Students were placed as assistants to mechanics, carpenters, welders, and in construction. Over 10 students signed up for their OYAP apprenticeship program in order to continue to acquire hours for their certification in the trades.
We are very excited about the start-up of the SHSM CO-OP next semester and the new opportunities in the local sports sector. In areas such as sports marketing, sports medicine, sports equipment sales, sports medicine, physiotherapy, personal fitness and many others.
The Cooperative Education Program at Lorne Park could not be possible without the participation and commitment of our local business community. Once again we thank those businesses and institutions that worked with us this past semester:
· Carmen’s Auto
· Clarkson Sports Therapy
· Computer Support Experts
· H Do-All Carpentry
· Detailed Works
· Euro Touch
· Icon Kitchens
· Michael’s Health and Beauty
· Rankin’s Auto
· One Health Club
· Riverside Public
· Mississauga Auto
· Stonegate Metal Fabricating
· The YMCA
· Whiteoaks Public
If you have any questions about the Co-op Program at Lorne Park, please drop by the Guidance and Career Education office or telephone Ms. Edmonds at (905) 278-6177 ext.415. (or) check the Lorne Park website.
MUSIC NOTES
Grade 8 Parents’ Night
This past fall, Lorne Park hosted the annual Grade 8 Parents’ Night, an information night for parents of students planning to attend LP in their grade 9 year. The Senior Jazz Ensemble caught the audience’s attention with exciting performances. Congratulations to Senior Jazz for your excellent work representing Lorne Park, and to the Music Exec for your knowledgeable assistance with parent questions.
Vocal Music Concert
The vocal music class presented their class concert "All That Jazzmatazz" on Thurs. Nov. 27. All repertoire was jazz, including swing, blues, a cappella, and Latin. The singers put on an energetic and entertaining show, and raised over $500 for the Canadian Mental Health Association. Well done!
Honour Ensembles
On Sat. Nov. 22,over 750 Peel music studentsauditioned to be in oneof the Peel Honour ensembles, including severalrepresenting Lorne Park. Representing Lorne Park in the Senior Honour Band are: Grace Johnston, Hee Jin Kim, Matthew Choi, Amna Adnan, Troy Su and Mark Sinclair. Successfully auditioning for the Senior Honour Choir were Sherry Cheng,Katy Scott, Samuel Gratton, Benjamin Coelho, and Cooper Harasyn. These students will be rehearsing over the coming months in preparation for their concert on "Music Monday" - May 4th at the Living Arts Centre. Congratulations on this achievement!
Winter Music Night
After a snow cancellation, the music department was able to present the annual winter music night on Tues. Dec. 16, with all school music ensembles performing. Some highlights included the vocal class combined with the Spartan Singers performing "And All That Jazz" from the musical Chicago, the Senior Wind Ensemble’s rousing performance of “Puszta-Four Gipsy Dances”, the Ritz Singers' rendition of rock anthem "Bohemian Rhapsody," Junior Band’s opening showstopper “Superheroes R Us”, Senior Jazz Ensemble’s fun version of “A Charlie Brown Christmas” and the Spartan Singers' "Something Latin," complete with salsa dancing and a special performance by Mr. R. Perrault on trumpet. Thank you to all who attended and a special thank you to the Music Exec for your organization, and to our MC, Mr. Lougheed for a wonderful hosting job!
Instrumental Music Clinics
The students from Senior Band and Senior Wind Ensemble were treated to clinics with esteemed conductor and adjudicator Colin Clarke on February 4th. The clinics are part of the preparation for the upcoming performances at the Musicfest Ontario in Hamilton. Mr. Clarke is the conductor of the Toronto Youth Wind Orchestra, and he is a well-respected adjudicator and clinician for Musicfest Canada. Students in AMI 1O0, and AMG 3O0/4M0 were on hand to observe the clinics.
Musicfest
On Wednesday, February 18th, the Senior Concert Band, Senior Wind Ensemble, Senior Jazz Ensemble and Junior Jazz Ensemble will be travelling to Hamilton, Ontario to perform at Musicfest Ontario. At the festival, the students will perform for three adjudicators, who will assess their performance and provide a clinic with each group. Please note that students will be at the festival all day, from 7:30 a.m. (yes, very early!) to approximately 5:00 p.m. Permission forms will be available soon. Parents are welcome to attend the festivals to hear their children perform!
Fundraising and Spring Trip
The Music Exec has been working to develop fundraisers to raise money towards a spring trip. We had planned a trip to Boston that unfortunately under-sold and had to be cancelled, but we are working on planning another trip, plus some fundraising ideas to help support students going on the trip. We will announce the details in the second semester as soon as we are able. Thank you for your continued support of Lorne Park Music!
Ms. Ford would like to say thank you to all of the singers who gave of their time and talent this semester. Next semester she will be on leave. We are working on finding a staff sponsor for the Spartan Singers to continue in semester two and in the fall. Singers are encouraged to check out some of the fantastic community groups, including the Mississauga Children's Choir. Please go to their website for more information on auditions. Everyone at LP wishes Ms. Ford well during her leave.