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Saint Patrick Regional SecondaryNEWSLETTER Winter 2007

“LightOur Way”

115 East 11th Avenue, Vancouver, Canada V5T 2C1 604-874-6422

Message from the PrincipalI hope that you had a relaxing and enjoyable Christmas break. On a personal note, the Christmas holidays brought with it much joy and happiness with the celebrations connected with my brother’s wedding. Sadly within a day of that wonderful event, I received the news that an acquaintance and colleague from St. Helen’s Elementary school, Gianfranco Giammaria, had passed away suddenly – leaving behind his wife and three young children. During this very sad time I reflected on my family, my faith and life’s journey. During these periods of reflection I recalled something that I wrote in November to our students – which resonates more profoundly now: “Stop and live in the moment. Surrender yourself to the now. You will experience joy, sadness, and love.” Here at St. Pat’s, I believe that we must value the small moments in our lives. I believe we must always take the time to recognize the gifts and blessings in each other. We see the kindness in the small deeds we do for each other – from opening doors for each other to providing a shoulder to cry on. It is in “catching” the moment in every situation that we see the humanity in everyone. It was Mother Teresa who so wisely asked us to: “Be faithful in small things because it is in them that your strength lies.”All of us face challenges on a daily basis and throughout our lives. It is the difficult times that often give perspective to the joyful times. This thought helps us understand that the daily challenges that you meet at home and that we meet at St. Pat’s, are part of what brings us our many blessings. The New Year brings renewed hopes and a renewed sense of Christ in each of us.Wishing you many blessings

J. BevacquaPrincipal

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Saint Patrick Regional Secondary

Once again midterms have arrived. Please ensure that your son or daughter arrives well prepared and on time for his or her exams. All relevant information regarding the exams, including the schedule below, is available on our website. Please be reminded that for senior students the results of these exams become their transcripts (provided to post secondary institutions) and for juniors the results will dictate pre-requisites for course selection.

Friday Jan. 26th

TimeMon -Thurs

MondayJan. 29th

TuesdayJan. 30th

WednesdayJan. 31st

ThursdayFeb. 1st

FridayFeb. 2nd

8:30-10:30

ENG.8-12COMM 11

& 12

8:30-10:30REL 10REL 11FR 12

MA 11MA 12

BI 11CALC 12

MA 11 (Prov)

CH 11CH 12

BI 12 (Prov)

MARKING

DAY

12:00-1:30

SS. 8 & 912:00-2:00

SS. 10 & 11

GEO 12

11:00-12:30FR 8

FR 9

SC 8

SC 9

MA 8

MA 9

CHO 11/12

1:00-3:00FR 1OHI 12PH 11

FR 11PH 12LIT 12

BI 12MA 10 SC 10

The Importance of Midterm Exams

AN S.O.S. FROM THE OFFICE!

Mrs. Blesch, Ms. Kerin and all the office assistance need your help. Please help in the smooth operation of the office by providing the following:

• Calling theoffice as soon as possible, after 8:00 am, to report an absence. This prevents the unnecessary work of tracking down each absentee’s correct information and then having Mrs. Blesch calling home.

• Absence notes from the parent/guardian, substantiating the absence, must be brought to the office on the first morning the student returns to school.

Currently, the office is sending a minimum of 100 reminders home weekly asking for absent notes. This is an incredibly time consuming task. Please help the office staff by being prompt with notes.

EXAMS!

EXAMS!

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Winter Newsletter

The Importance of Midterm Exams IN ANd OuT OF THE ClASSROOMSocial StudiesThe Social Studies students have enjoyed a number of field trips this year. Socials 11 and Geography 12 students went to Al Gore’s documentary An Inconvenient Truth to support the study of the effects of Global Warming. The Geography 12 students studied the geology of Lynn Canyon and the students in Comparative Civilization 12 looked at the art and history of our First Nations people at the Museum of Anthropology.

ScienceFor the third straight year, enrolment in the Science Department has increased. The implementation of a new Grade 8 Science curriculum, with new textbooks and activities, is moving along very well. A new lab prep room is almost completed which will make it easier to set up science labs.

Modern Languages With course selection just around the corner, students are reminded that many universities require a Grade 11 language course. To earn a Liberal Arts degree, a Grade 12 language course is required. Students who do not have a language 12 have to complete two years of a language at university. For enrichment and French study opportunities students are encouraged to check out myexplore.ca.

Respect for Life ClubThe Respect for Life Club has had a busy fall. On October 1st, club members, along with students from other Catholic schools, attended “Youth for Life Day” at Vancouver College. In November, several members attended an international pro-life conference in Richmond. In December, ten members took part in a “Wake-a-thon” at Notre Dame High School. The club also raised funds for the Catholic Youth Fund, in support of pregnant mothers, through the sale of Christmas cards. In conjunction with Campus Ministry and Project Outreach, a variety of other activities are planned for the spring.

Peer MinistryThe senior and junior peer ministers have once again renewed their commitment to know, love and serve God by participating in a number of retreats which helped them plan and coordinate ministry activities. Some seniors went on retreat to Mount Angel in Oregon which enabled them to help moderate Grade 12 Encounter Retreats. The junior twilight retreats helped them coordinate prayer services and the reconciliation service in Advent. The 40 grade 9 and 10 students will be fundraising in the spring to participate in a monastic retreat experience at Mount Angel Abbey during the month of June.

Service and OutreachThe generous and compassionate students of Project Outreach served Christmas dinner and collected essential items for the homeless in support of Covenant House. The most recent project involves collecting money for the family of a young teacher in the CISVA who died suddenly over the Christmas break.

School MassesWe invite our parents to attend all of our school Masses. The next school Mass is on Ash Wednesday, February 21st. We especially want to invite our mothers to attend our yearly Marion Mass on May 11th and to join us afterwards for a special tea in honor of all our mothers.

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CHORAl ACTIvITIES: SPRINg 2007

Spring Fling dinner AuctionOur annual dinner auction fundraiser will be held on Saturday April 21st at St. Patrick Regional Secondary Gym. Come support the choir by purchasing tickets for a fabulous dinner and lots of bidding opportunity in a silent and live auction. This year’s event will also feature entertaining DUETS, students and their parents!!! Tickets available through Evelyn Amurao 778-896-1257. If you have an item you would like to donate to the auction, please contact Ruth Yuswack 604-214-7837 or bring it to the school office.

Spirit Alive! gala Choir ConcertOur internationally recognized, award winning choirs will appear at the Chan Centre for the Performing Arts for the annual SPIRIT ALIVE GALA CHOIR CONCERT on Thursday May 17th at 7:30 p.m. The free open orchestra/choir rehearsal for the public is on Wednesday evening, May 16th, 8 p.m. – 10 p.m. Tickets for Spirit Alive are available through ticket master and the school office. Students are also selling tickets for $20.

FESTIvAlS and ClINICSThe Chamber Choir and Concert Choir will perform and have an open clinic with world renowned director, Weston Noble, former conductor of Lutheran College and the most in-demand conductor for choirs and orchestra in North America. If you would like to see Weston Noble work with the choirs, contact the 24-hour information line closer to the date for exact times 604-214-7837. The clinic and concerts will be held on two separate days with a reception, March 30, April 1 and/or April 2nd , 2007.

The choirs will also perform at the Kiwanis Choir Festival at Shaugnessey Heights United Church, Saturday April 14th, 2007 and will travel to Chicago for their seventh appearance at the US NATIONAL CHORAL INVITATIONAL FESTIVAL OF GOLD at the end of April 2007.

Saint Patrick Regional Secondary

Parent Participation update

With the school year half over, I would like to thank all of you for your contributions to our parent participation program. As you all know, this is not volunteer work - rather, it is a duty.

We are still short of parents to help with Food Services on Thursdays and Fridays. If you are available for such work or are prepared to consider changing duties please contact me to make the necessary arrangements.

Finally, a very important note for all parents assigned to Events, Choral and Fundraising: it is necessary to submit the booklets you were given, in order to verify your hours, NO LATER than the last day of school, June 8th 2007. Failure to do so may result in you being billed for non-participation.

To contact me regarding any of the items above, please email ppstpats@mac.com or leave a note/letter at the office.

Nick Kearns, Chair Parent Participation, REC

Michaelle Jean, Canada’s Governor General, and Gordon Campbell, Premierof British Columbia, are entertained by the Saint Patrick Chamber Choir

The choir willtravel to Chicago

for their7th appearance

at theUS NATIONAL

CHORALINVITATIONAL

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CHORAl ACTIvITIES: SPRINg 2007

Spring Fling dinner AuctionOur annual dinner auction fundraiser will be held on Saturday April 21st at St. Patrick Regional Secondary Gym. Come support the choir by purchasing tickets for a fabulous dinner and lots of bidding opportunity in a silent and live auction. This year’s event will also feature entertaining DUETS, students and their parents!!! Tickets available through Evelyn Amurao 778-896-1257. If you have an item you would like to donate to the auction, please contact Ruth Yuswack 604-214-7837 or bring it to the school office.

Spirit Alive! gala Choir ConcertOur internationally recognized, award winning choirs will appear at the Chan Centre for the Performing Arts for the annual SPIRIT ALIVE GALA CHOIR CONCERT on Thursday May 17th at 7:30 p.m. The free open orchestra/choir rehearsal for the public is on Wednesday evening, May 16th, 8 p.m. – 10 p.m. Tickets for Spirit Alive are available through ticket master and the school office. Students are also selling tickets for $20.

FESTIvAlS and ClINICSThe Chamber Choir and Concert Choir will perform and have an open clinic with world renowned director, Weston Noble, former conductor of Lutheran College and the most in-demand conductor for choirs and orchestra in North America. If you would like to see Weston Noble work with the choirs, contact the 24-hour information line closer to the date for exact times 604-214-7837. The clinic and concerts will be held on two separate days with a reception, March 30, April 1 and/or April 2nd , 2007.

The choirs will also perform at the Kiwanis Choir Festival at Shaugnessey Heights United Church, Saturday April 14th, 2007 and will travel to Chicago for their seventh appearance at the US NATIONAL CHORAL INVITATIONAL FESTIVAL OF GOLD at the end of April 2007.

Winter Newsletter

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Parent Participation update

With the school year half over, I would like to thank all of you for your contributions to our parent participation program. As you all know, this is not volunteer work - rather, it is a duty.

We are still short of parents to help with Food Services on Thursdays and Fridays. If you are available for such work or are prepared to consider changing duties please contact me to make the necessary arrangements.

Finally, a very important note for all parents assigned to Events, Choral and Fundraising: it is necessary to submit the booklets you were given, in order to verify your hours, NO LATER than the last day of school, June 8th 2007. Failure to do so may result in you being billed for non-participation.

To contact me regarding any of the items above, please email ppstpats@mac.com or leave a note/letter at the office.

Nick Kearns, Chair Parent Participation, REC

Michaelle Jean, Canada’s Governor General, and Gordon Campbell, Premierof British Columbia, are entertained by the Saint Patrick Chamber Choir

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Saint Patrick Regional Secondary

As usual, in November this year, the Celtic basketball teams hit the floor “running and gunning” causing opponents headaches and nightmares. There have been many teams whose smirks have been wiped from their faces when they have been beaten by 25 points or more by the little people of St. Pat’s basketball.Our Bantam boys, coached by Matthew Katsionis, David Wicks and Patrick Caffrey, made an impressive debut by beating STM in front of a sold out Forget Auditorium and then won the Khalsa Classic in front of a raucous Surrey crowd. The Bantam girls, coached by Anita Guglielmini, had an equally impressive start by beating Notre Dame in league play and also winning the Khalsa Classic. Both the boys and the girls finished with an impressive 2-1 record at the recent Shamrock.In another thrilling showdown at Forget Auditorium, the Junior Boys, coached by alumni Brian Yumang, lost at the buzzer to cross-town rival Notre Dame in front of the usual packed house. The Boys followed that with a sweep of the Junior Shamrock by defeating Churchill, Khalsa, and, in another buzzer beater, Cambie. The Junior girls, coached by the dynamic duo of Mr. Au and Mr. Grout, beat arch-nemesis Notre Dame in league play and also swept the Junior Shamrock by defeating John Oliver, Magee, and Holy Cross. The Senior Girls, coached by the Dean of Celtic basketball, Mr. R, dominated the Senior Shamrock by defeating Van Tech, Alpha, and STA. The Celtics were led by point guard Christina Lumba, who scored 92 points in three games.The Senior boys, coached by Napoleon Santos, geared up for the Shamrock by placing 3rd in the Southridge Classic. They also played two hard fought battles against STM and St. George’s. In the Shamrock Tournament, the Seniors easily defeated Magee in the opener and then played David Thompson in what will go down in Shamrock history as one of the more memorable games ever played at Forget Gardens. Down by 16, they mounted a comeback that had the old gym walls shaking. JP Rivera, who began the comeback, ended it with a scintillating one on one drive against Thompson’s big man and drew the foul. JP coolly sank the free throws, the game ended and the players were mobbed by the enthusiastic fans. The Senior Boys are well on their way in their quest for a provincial berth. Celtic Basketball is alive and well in Monsignor Forget’s Gardens.

vOllEYBAll WRAPuPCongratulations are in order for the entire Celtic Volleyball program. The Bantam Girls deserve accolades for their remarkable undefeated season. Special thanks to alumni coaches Alison Cabrera and Margarita Banting. Congratulations to our League Champion Junior Girls under the coaching of alumni Justin Escobedo and RJ Carlos who led the team to a tenth place finish at the Junior Provincials. The Senior Celtic tradition continued with the girls qualifying for the AA Provincials yet again. This year the girls placed tenth under the leadership of Provincial All Star Eunice Villamayor and fellow Grade 12’s Christina Lumba, Gezelle Pacturyan, Jaceil Layco, Diane Gold, Emily Hancock and Vanessa Agunias. Coaches Ignacio and Renzullo will truly miss all of our graduating seniors and wish them continued success.

CElTIC BASKETBAll IS AlIvE ANd WEll ATFORGET GARDENS

Runningand gunning

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Winter Newsletter

“Connie and Jessica hope to raise $5000...”

To help kick off the second half of our school year, two Grade 11 students, Connie Wan and Jessica Wu, have persuaded the administration to have our school raise funds for Canuck Place Children’s Hospice. Canuck Place provides care for children, ages 19 and under, with life-limiting diseases. Jessica and Connie hope to raise $5000.00 between January and April. A variety of fundraising activities are planned including:

Wear Your Team Colours dress-down day, various draws, the purchase of Canuck Place bracelets and the raffling of an autographed Roberto Luongo jersey. If that’s not enough, there are many more excellent prizes to be won including Canucks caps, autographed cards, an autographed Vancouver Giants jersey, and other memorabilia to make any hockey fan swoon. Both Connie and Jessica are hoping that the entire St. Patrick community will participate and give generously to such a great cause. If you wish to make a donation, please fill in the form below, place it and your donation in an envelope, marked Canuck Place and have it returned to our office. Connie and Jessica thank you.

Connie and Jessica Help light Our Way

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UPCOMING EVENTS

Saint Patrick Regional Secondary2007-08 Course Selection Time lineCourse selection planning for the 2007-08 school year is a four month process that begins in February. Students will be instructed about the process, examine graduation and post secondary requirements and have an opportunity to individually discuss concerns. Grade 9, 10 and 11 parents will also be involved in the process through information meetings. Mid-term report card results will help determine whether a student meets pre-requisites for next year’s courses. By mid-May we hope to have all students scheduled into 2007-08 courses.

February:5th - 7th Grade 9- 11’s receive Course Request Survey12th Students return Survey

March:6th Grade 9-11’s receive Course Selection Forms 12th PARENT MEETING for Grade 11 and 10’s re: COURSE SELECTION26th Grade 10 and 11s return Course Selection Forms

April: 3rd PARENT MEETING for Grade 9 re: COURSE SELECTION

4th : Course Selections Forms returned by 9’s 17th Grade 9-11 students are given 2007-2008 schedules. 23rd Grade 8’s receive Course Selection Forms 27th Grade 8’s return Course Selections

May:18th: All students between Grades 8-11 are given schedules for 2007-08

January: 26th to Feb. 3rd Mid-Term Exams February: 9th Report Cards Issued 11th Open House 14th Parent - Teacher Interviews 16th-18 Gr. 12 Encounter Retreat 20th School Dance 21st Ash Wednesday Mass 23rd Gr. 10 Retreat 28th & March 1st Catholic Educators Conference

March: 2nd Professional Development Day 10th Celtic Fair 16th -23rd Spring Break

April: 5th Holy Thursday (noon dismissal) 6th – 9th Easter Break

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In our ongoing efforts to enhance communication with our parents and students we have updated our school web site. Please visit www.stpats.bc.ca to get the latest school information including daily announcements, course information, scholarships & awards, latest news and letters and much more. We have also launched GREEN INK – our new student newspaper. This monthly publication will be distributed to students and is available on our web site. We will also be publishing our administration newsletter on our site.

Our annual Walkathon has come and gone. This year we have had a record amount of money raised – over $70,000! Congratulations to all the students, parents and teachers who worked so hard to make this such a huge success!

By now you have realized that we have three late starts per month. These late starts are essential for your school staff to meet, plan and collaborate. Occasionally there will be a need to cancel a late start day and go with our regular schedule. Your child will be given advance warning and notices will be posted on our web site. On the evening of November 7th Saint Patrick Regional was recognized by the Garfield Weston Foundation for Academic Excellence. I want to commend the staff and students for their hard work and dedication. As well as our academic achievements, many extracurricular programs are in full swing - from retreats and workshops to play rehearsals and games. All of this affirms that St. Pat’s continues to be a school where students are challenged to grow spiritually, academically, physically, socially and emotionally - BRAVO to all of you!

Our Archdiocesan theme for 2006-2007 is “Light Our Way”. This theme is particularly fitting for us here at St. Patrick. In our school philosophy we see l ourselves as “pilgrims learning and teaching”. On this journey we call on Jesus to inspire and guide us – to be our light. We have challenged our students to reflect on this theme and to make this motto a day to day reality. Perhaps you can share in this dialogue with your child so that this theme is one that resonates at home as well.To help foster this relationship between school and home, I would encourage parents and students to review and read our school handbook. It will provide you with an outline of school routines, guidelines, events and policies. I hope that you find it very informative and useful. As well, I would like to remind parents of the upcoming Parent/Student/Teacher Conferences on November 22nd. I look forward to seeing you at this important event.

It is my hope that you have a year filled with joy and successes. May God bless you and guide you.J. BevacquaPrincipal

The school year began with the newly created Commissioning Ceremony for our Grade 8 students. Students were individually welcomed by staff, students, and parents alike. This new tradition reinforced all the wonderful values of our community and is sure to be a fixture for years to come.

I would like to officially welcome Mrs. Una Babuin as a new member of our science and math departments. Mrs. Babuin has taught in other Catholic schools within our Archdiocese and we are fortunate to have her with us.

Saint Patrick Regional SecondaryNEWSLETTER Fall/Winter 2006

From The Principal’s Desk...

“LightOur Way”

115 East 11th Avenue, Vancouver, Canada V5T 2C1 604-874-6422

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On November 7, Mr. Bevacqua, Mrs. Anne Wicks (REC Chair), Father Allesandro (School Chaplain) and five members of the staff and school administration attended a dinner at The Fairmont Waterfront Hotel to accept an Honourable Mention certificate for the Garfield Westin Award. This award is presented annually to a school that exceeds academic expectations based on the academic achievements of its students, in relation to the background of the parents. The honourable mention highlights the school’s commitment to academic excellence and rewards a pattern of recent success at our school. Over the past seven years, St. Pat’s has been proud to graduate 100% of its students while at the same time placing between 50-70% of its graduates on the Provincial Honour Roll. The Garfield Westin certificate, awarded for exceeding expectations, is a welcome distinction for our school, but at St. Pat’s our expectations have always been set very high.

Celtics to Return to Japan

Osaka, Nara, Obama and Kyoto are beautiful and ancient cities and possible destinations for a group of Celtics that will visit the wonderful country of Japan in February 2007. The trip to Japan is part of St. Patrick’s International Program which includes a sister school relationship with Nissei High School in Maizuru Japan. As part of this cultural exchange, we are afforded a trip to Nissei every second year. We hope to send fifteen students and two teachers to Nissei on a ten day excursion in order to immerse them in Japanese culture. All students will be billeted with Japanese families, attend classes at Nissei, tour the local countryside and create life-long memories. So far a total of thirty-five students have indicated an interest in being a member of this excursion.

Garfield Weston Award Not A Surprise

Saint Patrick Regional Secondary

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On November 7, Mr. Bevacqua, Mrs. Anne Wicks (REC Chair), Father Allesandro (School Chaplain) and five members of the staff and school administration attended a dinner at The Fairmont Waterfront Hotel to accept an Honourable Mention certificate for the Garfield Westin Award. This award is presented annually to a school that exceeds academic expectations based on the academic achievements of its students, in relation to the background of the parents. The honourable mention highlights the school’s commitment to academic excellence and rewards a pattern of recent success at our school. Over the past seven years, St. Pat’s has been proud to graduate 100% of its students while at the same time placing between 50-70% of its graduates on the Provincial Honour Roll. The Garfield Westin certificate, awarded for exceeding expectations, is a welcome distinction for our school, but at St. Pat’s our expectations have always been set very high.

Student Services News

Post Secondary Liaison: Over the past two months, our Post Secondary Liaison Team, including Mrs. Eckert, Mrs. Katsionis, Ms. Greene and Mrs. Renzullo, have met with Grade 12’s regarding a number of planning issues and events. Beginning in October, all Grade 12’s were provided with applications and encouraged to apply to Langara College. Trinity Western University counselors came to St. Pat’s to provide information regarding admissions in October. On November 1st, we hosted our annual Liaison Day where six admissions officers from UBC, SFU, U-Vic, Langara, Kwantlen, and Vancouver Community College came to our school to provide admissions information to our Grade 11 and 12 students.

Ms. Greene and Mrs. Renzullo have also met with Grade 12’s in order to have each student develop a personal transition plan to post secondary life. This transition plan replaces the grade 12 portfolio which the Ministry of Education cancelled in July. Mrs. Renzullo at the same time is continuing to provide work experience opportunities to Grade 11 and 12 students.

From UBC, we were please to hear that, last year, 36 graduating Celtics applied to UBC and that 18 of those applicants were admitted. Of those, 12 were offered scholarships totaling $11,500.00.

Peer Counselling: Under the direction of Mrs. Eckert, peer counselors have been busy with a number of initiatives. The PC’s, who are given continuous training by the Crisis Centre put some of that training to good use in September by providing all Grade 8’s with a very successful anti-bullying workshop. Besides their training, PC’s are now hard at work with the task of assisting Mrs. Eckert and Ms. De Faye with ongoing support to their peers.

Peer Tutoring: A dedicated and talented team of peer tutors continue to provide academic support to our student body. Currently, 18 peer tutors from grades 11 and 12 are providing help to approximately 60 students. This service can be accessed through Academic Advisors who then pass on requests to our peer tutoring moderator, Mr. Grout.

Academic Advisors: This year’s team of Academic Advisors includes Mrs. McGrath in Grade 8, Mr. Renzullo in Grade 9, Mrs. Davidson in Grade 10, Mrs. Anderson in Grade 11 and Mrs. Katsionis in Grade 12. Our advisors have been busy teaching Planning 8, 9 and 10 while at the same time tracking the academic progress of all students. During the week of November 27th to December 4th, Advisors will be busy interviewing students regarding their Interim results and general progress.

Awards and Scholarships: All students and parents can access from our webpage a variety of information related to awards and scholarships offered by our school. There are also links to other helpful websites related to scholarship information. At the Grade 12 level, students are kept up to date with scholarship information by Mrs. Katsionis during their AP classes.

Garfield Weston Award Not A Surprise

Fall/Winter Newsletter

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Over the past 86 years many traditions have shaped our Celtic identity. The latest event we hope to cement as a Celtic tradition is the Grade 8 Commissioning Ceremony. This event was held for the first time on opening day, 2006. In the presence of parents, school administrators, staff and four Grade 12 role models, Grade 8 students were introduced individually during a welcoming assembly where each student was presented with a school pin commissioning them as Celtics. The pin is centered around a shamrock and is highlighted with the year 2011, the year the Eights will graduate. By that year, the Commissioning Ceremony will undoubtedly have become a true Celtic tradition.

Grade Eights Commissioned As Celtics

Saint Patrick Regional Secondary

Grade Eight Pin

Class of 2011

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Over the past 86 years many traditions have shaped our Celtic identity. The latest event we hope to cement as a Celtic tradition is the Grade 8 Commissioning Ceremony. This event was held for the first time on opening day, 2006. In the presence of parents, school administrators, staff and four Grade 12 role models, Grade 8 students were introduced individually during a welcoming assembly where each student was presented with a school pin commissioning them as Celtics. The pin is centered around a shamrock and is highlighted with the year 2011, the year the Eights will graduate. By that year, the Commissioning Ceremony will undoubtedly have become a true Celtic tradition.

Fall/Winter Newsletter

Green Ink Creates Chaos

The Green Ink is indeed “hot” and running off the presses, actually the school’s photocopier. With its first appearance the “Ink” created quite a stir in both the hallways and classes of St. Pat’s. Teachers moan that students are “zombie-like” in their classes as copies of the new school paper are smuggled into classes and hidden between textbooks or under sweaters. In a mad effort to read the latest editions of the Ink, newspaper boxes throughout the school are emptied as soon as they are filled. Even the usually loud and vibrant staffroom goes deafly silent with each new edition. This chaos is the result of Mr. Hancock’s Writing 12 class which is given the task of producing the monthly newspaper. With the tremendous success of the first and second editions, students and staff alike eagerly await succeeding publications. All except Mr. Donnici, that is, as he will erupt if another cartoon of him appears in the Ink. In an effort to keep the often ignored and usually forgotten parents abreast of the latest school news and gossip, every edition of the Green Ink can be found on the school website. ENJOY!

Congratulations to award winning author Madeleine Thien, Saint Pat’s grad class of ’92, for the recent publication of her first novel, Certainty. Madeline, currently living in Quebec, previously published a collection of short stories titled Simple Recipes. For Simple Recipes, Madeleine was awarded the 2001 Canadian Authors Association Air Canada Award and the 1998 Asian Canadian Writers’ Workshop Emerging Writer Award for Fiction. Certainty has also been received with a great deal of critical acclaim. Let’s celebrate this outstanding author and St. Pat’s grad by picking up a copy of Certainty.

“The austure grace and polishedassurance of her prose is remark-able.” - New York Times Book Review

Madeleine Thien (‘92) GarnersInternational Acclaim

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For the past 20 years, St. Pat’s Celtics have dominated CISVA volleyball and the 2006 season is no different. Once again, the Senior Girls proved to be a formidable opponent in league play, however they eventually lost to LFA in the semi-finals. The team has now qualified for an impressive 18th appearance in the Provincial AA championship tournament; a tournament the senior Celtics have won three of the last six years.

Meanwhile, the Junior Celtics entered their playoffs as the favourites to win the league championship and thereby qualify for the Junior Provincials. On November 9th, the juniors faced rival STM in the finals and easily defeated the Knights 3 games to none and once again hoisted the CIVSA league championship trophy. Earlier in the year, the team also captured the B.C. Catholic championships. With their impressive league and tournament record, the junior girls are now well prepared for the BC’s, which will be held at McMath High in Richmond at the end of the month.

This year, the Grade 8 Bantam team simply dominated league opponents with the end result being a perfect season. The Bantams concluded their season with a 2 games to 0 win over rival LFA, winning the league championship. The team finished their season with an outstanding independent league record of 12 wins and no losses. Even more impressive is the fact that the team never dropped a single game in any of their league matches. Just as the bantams toyed with league opponents, this talented group of girls also captured 3 out of 4 exhibition tournament championships throughout the Lower Mainland. The Bantam’s dream season continues the tradition of volleyball excellence at St. Pat’s High.

Senior Boys Gain Soccer Respect

The Senior Boys Soccer team ended the season with a respectable record of 2 wins, 2 losses and 4 ties. The boys got off to a slow start, but as the season progressed so did the players. As a result, the team came together and played a hard fought play-off match against arch-rival Notre Dame, losing 4 - nil. Mr. Marino would like to commend all the players for their effort and achievements this past season.

Juvenile Boys Show Promise

The Juvenile Boys Soccer team had a breakthrough season winning their first games in six years. The team, made up of inexperienced players from grades 8 and 9, was coached by Robin Greiff, Mr. Mongeon, and assisted by Brian Barbosa and Spencer Oye. All the coaches were impressed and proud of the way the boys persevered and improved throughout the season. With the newly found winning experience, the future looks promising for our boys soccer program.

Saint Patrick Regional Secondary

VolleyballSuccess!!

“Simplydominated...”

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For the past 20 years, St. Pat’s Celtics have dominated CISVA volleyball and the 2006 season is no different. Once again, the Senior Girls proved to be a formidable opponent in league play, however they eventually lost to LFA in the semi-finals. The team has now qualified for an impressive 18th appearance in the Provincial AA championship tournament; a tournament the senior Celtics have won three of the last six years.

Meanwhile, the Junior Celtics entered their playoffs as the favourites to win the league championship and thereby qualify for the Junior Provincials. On November 9th, the juniors faced rival STM in the finals and easily defeated the Knights 3 games to none and once again hoisted the CIVSA league championship trophy. Earlier in the year, the team also captured the B.C. Catholic championships. With their impressive league and tournament record, the junior girls are now well prepared for the BC’s, which will be held at McMath High in Richmond at the end of the month.

This year, the Grade 8 Bantam team simply dominated league opponents with the end result being a perfect season. The Bantams concluded their season with a 2 games to 0 win over rival LFA, winning the league championship. The team finished their season with an outstanding independent league record of 12 wins and no losses. Even more impressive is the fact that the team never dropped a single game in any of their league matches. Just as the bantams toyed with league opponents, this talented group of girls also captured 3 out of 4 exhibition tournament championships throughout the Lower Mainland. The Bantam’s dream season continues the tradition of volleyball excellence at St. Pat’s High.

Senior Boys Gain Soccer Respect

The Senior Boys Soccer team ended the season with a respectable record of 2 wins, 2 losses and 4 ties. The boys got off to a slow start, but as the season progressed so did the players. As a result, the team came together and played a hard fought play-off match against arch-rival Notre Dame, losing 4 - nil. Mr. Marino would like to commend all the players for their effort and achievements this past season.

Juvenile Boys Show Promise

The Juvenile Boys Soccer team had a breakthrough season winning their first games in six years. The team, made up of inexperienced players from grades 8 and 9, was coached by Robin Greiff, Mr. Mongeon, and assisted by Brian Barbosa and Spencer Oye. All the coaches were impressed and proud of the way the boys persevered and improved throughout the season. With the newly found winning experience, the future looks promising for our boys soccer program.

Fall/Winter Newsletter

“Breakthroughseason...”

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This year St. Pat’s will be presenting Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night at the Norman Rothstein Theatre in the Jewish Community Center on the evenings of March 29, 30 and 31, 2007. There will be a matinee performance Friday afternoon for children from several Catholic elementary schools.

Mr. Hughes, the director, and the St. Pat’s student cast and crew will be presenting this Shakespearean classic with a western cowboy twist! Already the

production is looking to be hilarious. Rumour has it that even Elvis himself will show up in a cowboy cameo!

On October 29, over 40 Grade 8 – 12 students showed up for auditions before a panel of 5 teachers. Some raw but spectacular talent was discovered!

So, write it down in your calendar now, because our cowboy Twelfth Night looks like a winner not to be missed.

UPCOMING EVENTS

November 22: Parent Teacher Conferences24: Junior Girls Provincial Volleyball Tournament24: Professional Development Day, No School29-2: Provincial Volleyball Championships in Creston 29: Jr. Peer Ministry Retreat29: Anti-Violence Workshop for Grade 11’s

December 4: Grade 9 Retreat 8: Encounter XXI Retreat, (Grade 12 Retreat) 8-9: Jr. Shamrock Basketball Tournament 14-15: Sr. Shamrock Basketball Tournament 21: School Mass 22: Talent Show (8:30-Noon Dismissal)

Christmas Break: December 22 to January 8

January 9: School reopens 12-13: Bantam Shamrock Basketball Tournament 18-20: BC Catholic Basketball Tournament 26: Mid-Term Exams begin

February 2: Mid-Term Exams end 8: Anti-Violence Workshop for Grade 10’s

Saint Patrick Regional SecondaryTwelfth Night...YEEEEEEEEEEHAW!!!

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Opening the Doors to Our HouseSt. Patrick Regional is a House that welcomes community. We have celebrated our community as usual in recent months. Beginning in February, nearly 400 visitors walked through our doors, halls and rooms during our very successful Open House. Shortly after, the BC Lions Football Team, the Free the Children Foundation, pre-eminent choir conductor Weston Noble and English teachers from across the CISVA all contributed enthusiastically to our House and filled it with Celtic Spirit. Our parent community poured into our gym for the Annual General Meeting. We look forward soon to welcoming all our mothers to the Marian Mass and Tea – a great tradition here at St. Patrick.Our House understands that in giving we receive. By opening our doors we welcome the greater community which challenges and enriches our school community.In the same way as we open our House to others, we open ourselves to Jesus’ grace and love. May His grace and love fill us and bring us all closer to the peace of our Lord and Saviour.

On another note…The June final exams (see back page for details) are imminent. It is important that your son or daughter remains focused on his/her studies. This year, for the first time, Grade 8’s and 9’s will be taking exams in core subjects. Grade 12’s must not allow the distractions around graduation celebrations to hinder their pursuit of academic excellence. I am confident that with your help, the guidance of our teachers and the maturity of our students, we will all experience a successful closure to the 2006-07 school year.

Saint Patrick Regional SecondaryNEWSLETTER Spring 2007

“LightOur

Way”

115 East 11th Avenue, Vancouver, Canada V5T 2C1 604-874-6422

Message from the Principal

May youexperience

the joy of theRisen Christ

J. BevacquaPrincipal

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Saint Patrick Regional Secondary

Weston Noble Visits Our House

Acclaimed choral conductor, Weston Noble, honoured us with his presence during the first weekend in April. Noble, recently retired from Luther College where he was Director of Choral Activities for 57 years, has developed a keen inter-est in our school’s choirs and has been tracking their devel-opment for the past ten years. While visiting St. Pat’s, Noble gave two full days of clinics to 150 of our choral students. His stay was highlighted by a free Sunday evening concert to a standing-room-only audience at St. Patrick Parish. Dur-ing the concert, Noble commented that over the years he has worked at about 900 similar events but “nothing quite like this.” At last year’s US National Choral Festival of Gold, Noble gave St. Patrick’s Chamber Choir the highest ranking among the elite invited American choirs. Once again, we are grateful to Weston Noble who came to our house to experi-ence the St. Patrick choral spirit.

Spirit Alive! Gala Choir Concert Our senior concert choir and chamber choir will perform at the yearly Spring concert, Spirit Alive! on Thursday May 17th at 7:30 p.m. at the Chan Centre for the Performing Arts. There are a limited number of tickets still available through the school or you may purchase tickets through Ticketmaster. The concert will once again feature a professional orchestra, and we welcome Spirit Alive Men’s Chorale as the guest choir. We are grateful to the personal donors and members of our Seraphim Club for their generous support. If you would like more information about tax-deductible contributions, please contact the 24-hour information line at 604-214-7837.

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Spring Newsletter

Weston Noble Visits Our House Mothers Invited to Our House

All mothers, grandmothers, aunts and other special ladies who mean so much to our community are invited to our annual Marian Mass and Mother’s Day Tea. Invitations will soon be sent home.

Friday, May 11th

Celtic Fair Fills our House with SpiritOur 2nd annual Celtic Fair brought together parents, students, staff and friends for a day of activities, prizes and good food. The Fair’s success was the result of the many parents who volunteered dozens of hours of work to raise funds for our school. More than money, Celtic Fair helped remind us of the spirit which fills our community. Thanks to all the volunteers and those who supported the Fair.

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Socials Studies Outside Our House

The Socials Department continues to extend learning opportunities outside the classroom by providing a variety of field trips to enhance and re-enforce the curriculum. Law 12 students recently visited the B. C. Supreme Court on Smithe Street where they witnessed a number of court proceedings and met with Chief Justice Paul Williamson of the Supreme Court. They also met with Ian Mulgrew of the Vancouver Sun who interviewed our Celtics and used their opinions about the accessibility of judges in his editorial. Socials 10 students will soon take a day out of the classroom to tour historical Chinatown and learn about the rich history of Chinese Canadians who have lived in the area for over a century. Lastly, Geography 12 students are preparing for the annual field trip that has been dubbed the “Sewer Tour.” This outing will focus student learning on our city’s waste management infrastructure. With these field trips, the Socials department hopes to illustrate to all students that learning occurs both inside and outside the classroom.

Saint Patrick Regional Secondary

PC’s Say Hello and Goodbye

In preparation for next year, the Peer Counselors have recently completed their spring training at Camp Alexandra in Crescent Beach. While there, six new PC’s were welcomed into the program. The new PC’s are Jennifer Angelucci, Karlyn Keatings, Cassandra Marsh, Daniel Ramos, Genifer Rigor, and Bryan Salvador. With over 25 applicants vying for six spots, the selection process was difficult. Mrs. Eckert and Mr. Au wish to thank all applicants. The next PC event, currently being planned, is the Goodbye Appreciation dinner for the departing Grade 12’s.

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Spring Newsletter

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PC’s Say Hello and Goodbye

In preparation for next year, the Peer Counselors have recently completed their spring training at Camp Alexandra in Crescent Beach. While there, six new PC’s were welcomed into the program. The new PC’s are Jennifer Angelucci, Karlyn Keatings, Cassandra Marsh, Daniel Ramos, Genifer Rigor, and Bryan Salvador. With over 25 applicants vying for six spots, the selection process was difficult. Mrs. Eckert and Mr. Au wish to thank all applicants. The next PC event, currently being planned, is the Goodbye Appreciation dinner for the departing Grade 12’s.

Lions in the HouseIn February, Byron Miles, Lyle Green and Jason Jimenez of the BC Lions football team roared into Forget Auditorium to compete against students and teachers in a variety of friendly games. During the competitions the Lions’ professional athleticism was highly appreciated as well as their advice on issues faced by teenagers. Their messages encouraged our students to confront bullying, complete their education and live a healthy lifestyle. The Lions’ appearance at our school was an example of their community involvement...another reason why we should support our Grey Cup championship football team.

A Packed House for CharityOn April 3rd, St. Pat’s students packed the bleachers in Forget Auditorium to witness a challenge floor hockey game between a team of Grade 12 students and members of the staff. Three hundred students each paid a “loonie” to watch the game with all proceeds being donated to Canuck Place. The game was part of our campaign to raise $5000.00 for this hospice. To date, over $3000.00 has been raised. Although some teachers have yet to recover from sore muscles, they are thrilled that they didn’t suffer a heart attack!

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Saint Patrick Regional Secondary

Twelfth Night - “Bravo! Bravo!YEEHAW!”

The St. Patrick Drama Department’s version of Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night turned into three nights of exceptional acting, uproarious laughter and a celebration of our students’ talents. During three evening performances almost 1000 appreciative people enjoyed energetic actors and imaginative sets, all put to a country and western theme with music to boot! After months of rehearsals in the school cafeteria, our Shakespearean actors donned their colourful costumes and received rave reviews on opening night, Thursday, March 29th. Proud parent and set designer, Dave Hancock, commented that he was “busting with pride” watching his daughter Emily as Viola. At the end of the last performance, director Chris Hughes gave special thanks to his wonderful actors, the hardworking and professional stage crew, the smooth-operating sound and light technicians and staff assistants, Mr. Genser, Mrs. Zimny, Mrs. Davidson and Mr. Grout. Yeehaw! Yeehaw! to our Shakespearean cowboy Celtics in the Rothstein Jewish Community Centre HOUSE.

Open HouseOn February 11th, we opened our doors to the over 400 people who attended our annual Open House. This was a very important event for prospective new students as it was the first day that applications were distributed for the 2007-08 school year. During Open House, guests were treated to fresh cookies from our Foods lab, science experiments, a multitude of classroom activities, a choral rehearsal and an address from Principal Bevacqua. When the doors finally shut, 250 people left with applications for the 100 seats available for next year’s Grade 8 class.

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Spring Newsletter

Open HouseOn February 11th, we opened our doors to the over 400 people who attended our annual Open House. This was a very important event for prospective new students as it was the first day that applications were distributed for the 2007-08 school year. During Open House, guests were treated to fresh cookies from our Foods lab, science experiments, a multitude of classroom activities, a choral rehearsal and an address from Principal Bevacqua. When the doors finally shut, 250 people left with applications for the 100 seats available for next year’s Grade 8 class.

A Host Family is needed for aninternational student attending

Corpus Christi College. Please contact theLangara Homestay Office at 604-323-5696for more information. Widen your world and

enjoy a unique cultural exchange opportunityfor your family. Renumeration provided.

HOST FAMILY NEEDED!

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UPCOMING EVENTS

Saint Patrick Regional SecondaryJune Exams in the House

May: 2nd New Parent Meeting 4th Socials 10 Chinatown field trip 9th School Dance 11th Marian Mass and Tea---Noon Dismissal

17th Chan Centre Choir Concert 22nd Grade 11 Retreat 26th Graduation Dinner and Dance 28th Professional Development Day----No School June: 2nd Graduation Mass and Convocation Ceremony 6TH Final School Mass

7th Last Day of Classes for non-Provincial courses 8th Awards Assembly----Noon Dismissal 11th – 15th School Exams-----Provincial Course Tutorials 20th - 28th Provincial Exams 28th Report Cards Issued at school - 9:00 AM

June 2007 Exam Tutorial Week Grade 10, 11 & 12Mon June 11 Tues June 12 Wed June 13 Thurs June 14

Block A: 9:11-11:30

Ma10

Block C: 9:11-11:30

Sc10 SS11 En12 Ma12

Block E: 9:11-11:30

En10 SS11 En12 Bi12

Block G: 9:11-11:30

En10 Ma10 En12 Fr12

Block B: 12:30-3:00

Lit12 Bi12 Ph12

Block D: 12:30-3:00

Sc10 Hi12 Ch12

Block F: 12:30-3:00

Ma10 HI12 Com12

Block H: 12:30-3:00

Sc10 Geo10 Ma12

School Final Exams 2007 Grade 8-11Mon June11 Tues June 12 Wed June 13 Thurs June 14 Fri June 15

9:00 -10:30EN 8EN 9

9:00 – 10:30 SS 8 SC 9

9:00 – 11:00MA 11

MA 9 (9:00-10:30)(MA 8&9)

9:00-11:00PH 11

9:00-11:00CH 11

1:00-3:00 SS 10EN 11

COM 11

1:00 – 3:00BI 11(SC 8)

1:00 – 3:00FR 11

(FR 8 & 9)

Provincial Examinations 2007 Grade 10, 11 & 12 All Provincial exams have an extra HOUR

Wed June 20 Thurs June 21 Fri June 22 Mon June 25 Tues June 26 Wed June 27 Thurs June 288:30– 11:30

EN 10

8:30-11:30

SP 12

8:30-11:30

COM 12 LIT 12 SS 11

8:30-11:30

MA 10

8:30-11:30

GEO 12 SC 10

8:30-11:30

FR 12

8:30-11:30

HI 12

12:30-3:30

EN 12

12:30-3:30 12:30-3:30

MA 12

12:30-3:30

BI 12

12:30-3:30

CH 12

12:30-3:30

PH 12

12:30-3:30

MAND 12