Welcome New Students!

What are some of the differences between elementary and high school? 

 

• Semester System (only 4 full classes per semester)
• Moving from Class to Class
• 2 different lunches in the cafeteria
• More variety in courses
• Final Exam periods in January and June
• More independence and responsibility for students
• More homework
• Group projects are often required so students need to work well with others
• Time management and organizational skills are keys to success
• Remember that staff and administration want students to succeed and grow, but students must speak up if something isn’t going well.

 

Guidance Department

 

Guidance and Career Education plays a central role by preparing students for a complex and changing world. The Guidance program has a specific focus on learner, interpersonal, and career development. The Guidance team plays a key role in preparing students for the future. Each student is assigned a Guidance Counsellor with whom they can work with to achieve learning goals and prepare for the future. Guidance Counsellors see students by appointment to discuss pathway, special programs, timetable/course, and post-secondary planning.

 

St. Mary’s Catholic High School Guidance Department 

 

                      

 Mrs. Popovich, Last Names: A to K 

[email protected] / Ext. 27042

 

 

Mrs. Copeland, Last Names: L to Z

[email protected] / Ext. 27041

 

                                                  

Mrs. Montigny, Student Support Administrator

[email protected] / Ext. 27040

 

Community Service

 

"The miracle is not that we do this work, but that we are happy to do it." Mother Teresa

​Community Service encourages students to develop social responsibility, to appreciate the various roles they can play in their communities and to help them develop a greater sense of belonging within their respective communities. Every student who begins secondary school in Ontario will be required to complete 40 hours of community service as part of his/her diploma requirements. Effective July 1, 2011 students will be able to start accumulating community involvement hours in the summer before they enter grade 9. 

• For more information visit the SMHS Guidance Website.

Homework Help and Tips

 

Homework Tips.   

 

• Create a Homework Plan
• Understand the assignment. Write it down in your notebook or planner.]
• Don't be afraid to ask questions about what's expected.
• Start right away.
• Budget your time.
• Find a quiet place to focus.
• Avoid studying on your bed.
• Tackle the hardest assignments
• Keep moving
• Take breaks.
• Find out the times the teacher is available for extra help and ask questions. 

 

Getting Involved: Athletics & Clubs

 

Students are strongly encouraged to participate in extra-curricular activities. Fees may be charged to help cover additional costs, and fundraising may occur for some teams/clubs. St. Mary’s Catholic High School offers a rich variety of Athletic Teams, Clubs and Activities, there is something for every student!

 

Warrior Athletics

 

St. Mary’s has a long history of pride, tradition, and excellence in our interschool athletics program. Every year we have a tremendous amount of staff, alumni and community members who volunteer hundreds of hours coaching our students to meet their athletic potential. The primary objective of the Athletics Department is to maximize participation in healthy active living & sport through co-curricular and extra-curricular involvement. We offer the following sports:

Fall Season	Winter Season	Spring Season
Basketball – Girls	Basketball – Boys	Badminton - Jr. & Sr. (Co-Ed)
Cross Country	Swimming	Baseball - Boys
Golf	Volleyball - Girls	Hockey – Boys Varsity & Jr. Boys
Volleyball - Boys		Hockey - Girls Varsity
		Soccer – Boys Varsity & Girls Varsity
		Tennis
		Track & Field

 

 

Distinctive expectations for graduates of Catholic schools are determined and shaped by the vision and destiny of the human personemerging from our faith tradition. This Christian anthropology, or worldview, reveals the dignity and value of the person. Our tradition tells us God creatively and lovingly calls each of us into the wonder of life, sustaining us by the power of the Holy Spirit, throughout the human journey, into life eternal. We acknowledge that the journey includes moments of brokenness and sin. We recognize in the person of Jesus, the risen Christ, the human face of God sharing our life in order to heal us of our brokenness and liberate us from sin.

 

This Christian vision of the human journey is best understood within the context of a relationship. It is accomplished in community, in solidarity with brothers and sisters in the church and beyond.

Catholic education views human life as an integration of body, mind and spirit. Rooted in this vision, Catholic education fosters the search for knowledge as a lifelong spiritual and academic quest. The expectations of Catholic graduates, therefore, are described not only in terms of knowledge and skills, but in terms of values, attitudes and actions.

 

The Graduate is expected to be:

 

• A discerning believer formed in the Catholic Faith community who celebrates the signs and sacred mystery of God’s presence through word, sacrament, prayer, forgiveness, reflection and moral living.
• An effective communicator, who speaks, writes and listens honestly and sensitively, responding critically in light of gospel values.
• A reflective, creative and holistic thinker who solves problems and makes responsible decisions with an informed moral conscience for the common good.
• A self-directed, responsible, lifelong learner who develops and demonstrates their God-given potential.
• A collaborative contributor who finds meaning, dignity and vocation in work which respects the rights of all and contributes to the common good.
• A caring family member who attends to family, school, parish, and the wider community.
• A responsible citizen who gives witness to Catholic social teaching by promoting peace, justice and the sacredness of human life. ​ 

The Institute for Catholic Education outlines specific competencies for each of the Ontario Catholic School Graduate Expectations.