Departments

Arts:

The Arts Department successfully rose to the challenge of teaching in the time of COVID-19. When it became apparent that there was no chance of returning to our Art, Music, and Drama classrooms, virtual teaching became a reality. In all three disciplines, while not the only focus, Covid-19 became the inspiration for creating different art forms. It is no secret that artistic expression is a way to cope and a way to express one’s feelings. Our Arts students did not disappoint.

In Visual Arts, students designed Covid masks that were either a depiction of themselves or the source of a message to remain hopeful. Captain Quarantine characters allowed students to imagine a fictional superhero who could perhaps save the day. Interestingly enough, some of these were based on real life nurses and doctors. Other pieces of art revealed some of the very real anxiety and stress associated with this unprecedented set of circumstances.

The senior Vocal Music students recorded parodies of pop songs, rewritten to reflect their day to day experiences during Covid 19. These recordings were YouTube worthy! The clever lyrics and beautiful voices were filmed using extremely humorous settings with “extras” that included siblings and the family dog! The assignment, being relevant to the students’ experiences, provided a great outlet for creative expression.

The junior Drama classes had to jump right into performance without the benefit of the voice unit which would have occurred after March Break. Using the model of “Ferris Bueller” the iconic teen in the film, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off the Drama students recorded, “A Day in the Life of a Quarantined Teen.” They enjoyed breaking the fourth wall and using comedy to represent their day to day life during Covid. Choosing which pyjamas to wear or what snack to eat, became the subject matter for some great mini parodies.

The end of this school year was especially difficult for our Grade 12 Music students. They were not able to play their Spring Concert at the Richmond Hill Centre for the Performing Arts where traditionally speeches are made and a video, reflecting their four years in the Music Program, is always a highlight.

In light of that, Ms. Doria has arranged to have a piece of music commissioned and written in honour of our grade 12 Music students by Mr. Stewart Goodyear, a professional Canadian musician and composer. Mr. Goodyear is a world renowned concert pianist and composer,and the first and only black pianist to have recorded the complete Beethoven sonatas and concerti.

Many thanks to our Principal, Ms. Mastromartino for helping this dream to become a reality and for her continued support of the Arts at St. Theresa of Lisieux CHS.

C. Santagato-Davies

Business:

Teaching business during distance learning has been a rewarding journey. The business department's focus was on learning and preparing students for the following academic year. This was made incredibly easy thanks to the professionalism of our students who stayed engaged, completed work to the best of their abilities, and avoided the many distractions available at home. Thank you so much for the work and effort put into your studies and thank you to your parents and guardians for their support through this process. A special thank you to the grade 12 Business Leadership students who worked hard preparing the graduation video; it is amazing! Congratulations to all graduating students; we wish you much success and hope that you continue following the Little Way of our patron saint. The entire department looks forward to seeing everyone in the classroom once this is over. Enjoy your summer and stay safe!

T. Garreffa

Canadian & World Studies:

STL's Department of Canadian and World Studies is dedicated to encouraging critical thinking skills in our students, with a view towards inculcating a life-long love of learning. We are saddened that we are unable to see our students face-to-face, but we have been developing online programs in geography, history, law, and family studies that are putting the current tragic circumstances into a hopeful context. We pray this will help them understand how they can thrive and excel even in the face of adversity. Through the optimistic perseverance we derive from St. Theresa's "Little Way," we have faith that our students will come through with strength and confidence in a brighter future.

J. Macchiusi

Cooperative Education:

We began this semester in Cooperative Education with the same excitement each semester brings. Students were both keen and nervous with the prospects of learning new skills, gaining unique experiences and developing relationships with colleagues and mentors. Some of our students were part of newly formed partnerships: GolfTown, BlueDot Tech, Audi Vaughan and the York Region Sleep Disorder Clinic. Many of our students were placed with long time partners such as Elite Climate Services, Primo Mechanical, Irpinia Kitchens, Sheldon Wisener Law and our many teacher partners in the YCDSB and YRDSB.

With the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the realization of a new experiential learning experience, cooperative education was reshaped. Some of our students continued on with their workplaces virtually, while others found new virtual placement opportunities. Our teacher candidates were given the opportunity to join virtual classrooms and contribute ideas and innovative lessons to their elementary school google classrooms. Our own STL Co-op classrooms continue to be creative in their approach, including presentations from outside resources, Watch and Learn activities and insightful reflective exercises, which look back on their placement experience. Our students are currently gearing up for their CPT presentations, which will highlight the skills developed in co-op through various digital platforms.

We would like to thank our partners for supporting our students, and providing them with strong mentoring, and exposure to new learning. We would also like to commend our students for their commitment to learning, and amazing adaptation to this “new normal” in Co-op. We wish all our students continued success, and encourage them to seize the learning opportunities our online learning experiences bring to Cooperative Education.

N. Cammalleri

English:

THE ENGLISH DEPARTMENT AND “DISTANCE LEARNING”

The second semester of 2020 brought with it the unique challenges that attended the YCDSB’s response to COVID-19 in general and “Distance Learning” in particular. One of our first tasks as a department was to articulate our philosophy for honing in on the essential “Overall Expectations” from our curriculum documents and then meeting in our course teams to determine how best to streamline our existing programming to ensure that these needs were met in a new format that saw us working directly with our students in limited amounts of time each week. I am so grateful to all of my department colleagues for their expertise and professionalism during this crucial early stage.

Our next challenge was to ensure that students could access the course textbooks needed to complement our curriculum delivery. To this end, we were assisted by some publishers who made our course texts available for free online. We were also greatly helped by the resources made available to us by STL’s Department of Library Services, who have always granted our students access to databases and online resources that provide us with many of the texts we need.

Finally, our success was ensured by the responses of so many of our students, who put in the time and effort needed and brought such positivity into our online learning environments, making “Distance Learning” a productive and enjoyable experience for all.

On behalf of the English Department, I would like to thank our board, school, students, student families, and community for their tremendous support during these challenging times.

M. Merlocco

Library:

This school year was definitely a challenging one. The effects of the Covid-19 pandemic have been devastating. It has caused concern about the well-being of loved ones. It has forced many closures of businesses, services, and even churches and schools. All teachers and students have had to adapt to distance learning with courses now being online.

What does this mean for a teacher-librarian? The school library had to become solely a virtual one. Devices were prepared and distributed to those students who needed them and online resources were made available to all staff and students. Training on programs occurred virtually while lessons continued to be taught through synchronous learning. Students’ questions were answered when they reached out for help in finding resources for their culminating performance tasks. Every day brought new challenges.

What I learned about distance learning is that it is very expensive. For example, all annual subscriptions to online resources, all eBooks, and electronic programs come at a very high price. We were very fortunate to have many publishers provide free access until the end of the school year. This will not be the case in September. At St. Theresa of Lisieux, we have a Catholic School Council that recognizes the importance of a school library and supports our program through funds. I would like to thank Catholic School Council for the many print and electronic resources purchased with their funds. These resources helped many students complete their research assignments and provided them with reading materials for their own interest. Even during this pandemic, students have been able to access fiction or nonfiction reading materials for their own interest. This is a wonderful way to relieve stress.

What I miss most with distance learning is the students. Schools are meant to be full of students eager to learn and to socialize. Our school library is typically full of students studying for tests, finishing homework, reading books or magazines, playing chess, working on puzzles, talking about their sports teams, clubs and committees, or just catching up with their friends. Students build memories about their classes and their school in general. Memories cannot be built while sitting in front of a computer on a Google Meet with microphones and cameras turned off. When speaking to students who came to the school to return books and empty their lockers, I quickly became aware of how they too missed school. We are all hoping that the return to school will happen in September with safety measures in place.

Until then, I would like to wish you all a very safe and enjoyable summer. Congratulations graduates!!! Remember to visit STL. Good luck and God Bless.

L. Meschino

Mathematics:

Distance learning and math in the time of COVID-19:

Making Lemonade with Lemons!

Like many other departments at STL, the Math department has had to reimagine how to provide our students with the caring, quality instruction that they have come to expect in the classroom. With a strong collection of dedicated educators, regular virtual department meetings and course team collaboration, the Math department has worked together to develop instructional and support strategies that ensure our students are provided with the greatest opportunity for success.

As a department, we have been individually creating lessons using the Screencastify platform to record and post detailed lessons for students to watch on their own. Many of the teachers in the Math department have received incredibly positive feedback from the students about this method of instruction. The students like that they have the control about when to complete their lessons and that they can pause and replay sections in order to consolidate concepts more effectively.

While we may not be in a physical classroom to help our students, we have done our best to offer virtual assistance to address student questions and help enhance learning. Extra help is offered during Google Classroom sessions, additional Google “office” hours, and teachers do their best to respond quickly to student email inquiries.

Evaluations have also gone online and have taken the form of take home and online quizzes and tests which take place during the one-hour Google Classroom sessions. In addition, some teachers have also developed creative assignments for certain courses in order to engage and evaluate students in an alternative manner.

This alternative method of instruction has not been without its struggles, however, and has made our teachers appreciate in-class instruction even more. Online learning is not for everyone. It requires a level of independence and self discipline that many students struggle with, and there are those who need direct, in-person interaction so their learning needs can be addressed immediately. On an instructional level, our teachers miss being in the classroom and circulating around the room to help students who are struggling. In general, we have observed that students are far less inclined to reach out for help online and it then becomes disheartening to know that they are potentially struggling and there is little we can do unless they reach out to us. In addition, being limited to delivering multiple lessons on one day a week means that students may not have concretely digested the first lesson, and sought clarification, before they attempt to move on with the next, something that would not happen were we in a classroom.

On a personal level, the social distancing aspect of this distance learning has also had an impact on members of the Math department. Humans are innately social creatures and this form of distance learning offers little social interaction. In-person collaboration with colleagues and face-to-face instruction with students are much beloved aspects of our day, aspects that just can’t be satisfied with Google Meet. Many members have even articulated that they often feel like they are talking to themselves in Google Classroom sessions as students' cameras and microphones remain off.

In addition, many teachers with children of their own have struggled to maintain a work-life balance as they often try to facilitate the educational needs of their own children while simultaneously trying to serve the educational needs of their students. This has proven to be both mentally and emotionally taxing.

Overall, the members of the Math department have done their absolute best to ensure students receive the most effective and meaningful educational experience possible during these challenging times; we are all in this together so we will get through it together. Stay Safe!

M. Sheahan

Modern Languages:

Modern Languages Department Publishes Inaugural Monthly, Bravo!

The Department of Modern Languages is pleased to share news of our inaugural ezine, Bravo!

Read about the accomplishments of our French language students.

G. Marcuzzi

DEPARTMENT HEAD OF MODERN LANGUAGES

ST. THERESA OF LISIEUX CATHOLIC HIGH SCHOOL

FOUNDER YORK REGION SCRABBLEFEST FOR SICKKIDS FOUNDATION

Physical and Health Education:

The 2019-2020 school year was off to an innovative start with exciting new curriculum being implemented into the junior grade levels. Students were exposed to new activities such as spike ball, curling, and cricket just to name a few! Our fitness and activity courses remained as engaging as ever with students delving into new fitness regiments and immersing themselves in various sports by visiting community facilities. As the phys. ed. department moved into second semester, our foot remained on the gas as the whirlwind of distance learning began. In an environment where screen time was going to be necessary, the phys. ed. teachers made it their mission to try and keep students active, even at a distance. With the shift away from the traditional classroom setting, the focus now became physical and mental health as we weathered these uncharted waters. The phys. ed. department modified the CPT to reflect this focus and made it relevant to the student experience having it directly related to the pandemic. Students were asked to reflect on their physical, mental, emotional and spiritual well being during these unprecedented times while being taught coping strategies through synchronous learning.

We as a department are excited to see what September holds and pray that our students have a safe and ACTIVE summer. We congratulate our students for their efforts this year and wish our graduating Lions all the best as they forge their new paths.

L. Savo

Science:

When we left for March Break, none of the members of the STL Science Department could have thought that in mid June we would still not be interacting with our students face-to-face. In all the combined years of teaching experience of the Science Department, none of us has experienced quite a unique situation in Education as we have had this past spring. Nonetheless, necessity leads to invention, and the Science Department collaborated to re-think how to teach, interact and support students in the distanced learning reality that we had to all adapt to.

Prior to distance learning members of the Science Department developed a blended learning approach utilizing D2L, online labs such as Gizmos, PhET simulations and many more e-Learning tools to provide students with a 21^st Century learning experience. When faced with the new challenge of distance learning, the Science Department enthusiastically and tirelessly further developed the online experience to provide a rigorous, engaged and supported learning experience for all students. Through regular Department google meets and other forms of communication, science teachers collaborated and worked as a team to implement for students a differentiated experience that successfully covered integral skills and curriculum that would help our students in future years.

I would like to thank members of the Science Department for all of their hard work from their homes, while balancing their own family life and responsibilities, and their dedicated commitment to our STL students. As education is a partnership between teacher, student and their parents, I would a like to thank our STL students and their parents for the adjustments they made to distance learning, their initiative and hard work during this unique semester.

N. Smeretsky

Student Services:

One of the irreplaceable joys of teaching is the daily classroom interaction that allows us to witness growth and development in our students. We have certainly missed seeing our students at school and being there ready to support them as needed. To ensure that we were available and accessible throughout the day, the Special Education team hit the ground running in its planning for Distance Learning, looking for creative methods of delivering support to our students. Our teachers set up their own virtual core rooms where students could each have a regular time slot throughout the day for individualized support. As an additional layer of support, the Special Education teachers were in ongoing communication with parents, subject teachers and students. The Special Education teachers also each continued with a live weekly lesson for their own courses. Our most creative Distance Learning program was our online Life Skills program. Each of our FLS students had an individual class with the FLS teachers and EAs at a time of day that best suited their needs. The students adapted to online learning brilliantly; we are so proud of them. Seeing them daily and being able to provide uninterrupted attention to them was definitely one of the highlights of our day.

The team could not have provided that level of support to our students if they were not being supportive of each other. We set up two WhatsApp groups: our first group was for sharing news, stories, pictures, and anything that would help keep us positive. Our second group was our virtual department workroom where we collaborated and exchanged information during the school day. The first post of every work day was an inspirational quote, a song, or just a silly cartoon to get us going on our busy day. In these “little ways” we followed the teachings of our patron, St. Theresa of Lisieux, and gave each other strength to remain committed through the uncertainty we are all facing. The entire Special Education team, teachers and EAs, are to be commended on the dedication and individualized care that they provided our students every single day. More than ever before, Distance Learning has proven to us that we are a team not because we work together, but because we respect and rely on each other’s talents. We pray that St. Theresa continues to bless us, our students and their families, and that we soon see brighter days.

E. Cocchetto

Technology:

STL Today Goes Home:

The grade 11 and 12 broadcasting classes that normally would produce STL Today (the school's daily announcements which are produced & broadcast in school) had to adapt to the quarantine restrictions. As a result, "STL Today At Home" made its debut on the school mobile app in April. Students would inform the viewers of a couple "feel good" stories during the quarantine, as well as the local weather and a couple of sports stories. All of this from the couch, kitchen table or office desk of their personal residences.

D. Nero