Pastoral Plan for St. Roch Catholic Secondary School
“Walking
Forward
Together”
PASTORAL PLAN
School Name: St. Roch Catholic Secondary School
School Motto or Mission Statement:
Light of the Mind…Light of the World
Theme for the Year: Walking Forward Together (Catholic Education Week
Theme for 2016-2017 School Year)
Retreats. Identify the location of the retreat, groupings (class, or grade
level), theme, facilitator, supervision (chaplaincy leader and/or staff)
Grade 9: Retreats are held at Eldorado Park in September and May.
Brampton Parks and Rec. hire dynamic young adults to lead our students in
a series of cooperative and community building games. Retreats are
outside, active and fun. Lots of engaging activities and problem solving.
Retreats begin and end with prayer in the chapel. We share in a communal
meal. Each retreat is a combination of two or three classes. This retreat
focusses on “Community and how I fit in.” All retreats at all levels are
supervised by the chaplaincy leader and the classroom teacher.
Grade 10: Retreats are held at Dr. Simone’s warehouse during each
semester. Each grade 10 Religion class goes on their own retreat. This
retreat focuses on “Service around the World.” We fill containers with
food, clothing, medical supplies, toys and furniture. We stuff envelopes
with newsletters for supporters of the charity. We begin and end the day
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Pastoral Plan for St. Roch Catholic Secondary School
“Walking
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at the warehouse with prayer and reflection. We conclude with a
communal meal.
Grade 11: The theme of this retreat is “Discovering the Sacred.” We
discover the Sacred by visiting four places of worship in Brampton and
Mississauga. We discover the Sacred in our neighbours – Hindus, Sikhs,
Ukrainian Catholics and Muslims. We conclude with a communal meal,
where we discover the Sacred in each other.
Grade 12: The theme of this retreat is “Community, Service and the
Sacred.” Retreats are held on Thursdays throughout the year. Each Grade
12 Religion class goes on their own retreat Hillsview Seniors Center in
Georgetown. We cook a hot meal for the guests of Hillsview. We play
cards, bingo and board games with the guests. Students meet and engage
with the guests who are the elderly in Georgetown.
Other retreats (e.g. student council):
 Student Council meets in October to plan the year at the Terra Cotta
Conservation Area. We start with a liturgy and prayer, walk the
trails, and reflect on our role as student leaders.
 A Link Crew retreat welcomes new grade 9 students to St. Roch in
August.
 Transition Retreats for Grade 8 students are held on Thursdays in
April.
 A PIP retreat is held on Wed., Sept. 30. We sing and pray, and play
games, and hike at the Terra Cotta Conservation Area.
 A retreat for our Hospitality Specialist students at the Terra Cotta
Conservation Area.
 The Media kids, the Leadership kids, and the E.S.L. kids go on an
overnight retreat to Medeba.
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Pastoral Plan for St. Roch Catholic Secondary School
“Walking
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 The Leadership Class and Grade 10 students have a retreat at
Silvercreek.
Activities of a Religious Nature
o Each school must identify activities of a religious nature with a substantial
component of ritual and prayer (Eucharistic and Non-Eucharistic)
o Examples could include, but not limited to; school Masses, Sacrament of
Reconciliation, Ash Wednesday, Holy Thursday, Devotions etc.
Activities of a Religious Nature
with a substantial component of ritual and prayer
We have three whole school masses during the year. We celebrate them
in the gym with the whole student. Fr. Tobin celebrates our Masses for
us – opening school year mass, Advent mass and closing school year
mass. Our music students and our dance students help facilitate our
worship.
On Monday November 7th we will celebrate a Memorial Mass for Simon
Radman, a senior student who passed away in July of 2016.
We celebrate a Graduation Mass on Tues., June 28 in the cafetorium.
We celebrate Ash Wednesday and Holy Thursday in para-liturgies in the
gym, the whole student sitting on the floor. Again, music and dance
students, contribute to our worship, as well as PIP kids.
Fr. Tobin celebrates mass in our chapel every Tuesday morning before
school starts. Staff and students participate.
The sacrament of Reconciliation is celebrated in our chapel in Advent and
Lent.
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Pastoral Plan for St. Roch Catholic Secondary School
“Walking
Forward
Together”
We have Remembrance Day celebrations and Black History Month
celebrations in the cafetorium organized by the Social Science Dept. and
the Media classes on Roch TV.
The Music Dept. organizes a benefit concert for Syrian Refugees in
collaboration with Jamie Holtom from North Bramalea United Church.
Choirs from other schools and the local community participate. The
music is spiritual. Art works are sold, hand-made rosaries are given out to
the audience.
“Dance for a Cause” is a benefit performance organized by the Dance
Subject Council at the Rose theatre. The money goes to Share Life. Five
schools participate. The evening begins with prayer.
The Rosary Club meets once a week to make rosaries and to pray.
A Prayer Intention Box is located in the Matrix.
 Other Pastoral/Outreach Activities
o These activities could include but are limited to: Remembrance Day, Earth Day,
Safe School Assemblies, Thanksgiving, Charity, social justice work, including
Share Life etc.
o For any activity involving social justice outreach in the community (food banks,
soup kitchens and so on), details must include size of the group, supervision –
must have adequate coverage in every area of the facility, safety plan, route
plan (if on an “inner city” walk), how often the activity happens (weekly,
monthly, once a year)
Pastoral Activities
PIP kids deliver gifts for the families adopted during
our Christmas Gift Drive to Catholic Cross-Cultural
Services.
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Pastoral Plan for St. Roch Catholic Secondary School
Homerooms adopt forty families during the Advent
season from the people who use the services of
Catholic Cross-Cultural Services in Brampton.
Students buy and wrap gifts for our adopted families.
Liturgies and prayer to open Staff, Parent Council and
Dept. Head meetings.
Morning reflections using scripture, interviews with
students and staff. Next year these reflections will be
done live on Roch TV.
St. Roch Choirs sing during the Advent season at
Hillsview Seniors Center, a nursing home, city hall and
Pizza Hut.
Music students performed a rock concert at a Peel
school for PIP kids.
Prayer to open Girls’ and Boys’ Nights Out, as well as
Athletic Banquet, and Awards’ Ceremonies.
Food drive between Thanksgiving and Advent and
another one during Lent. Beneficiary of the food
drives is Ste. Louise Outreach, a local Brampton food
bank that serves more than 3500 families in
Brampton, Mississauga and Caledon.
Night Out at Chapters. Students perform in the local
Chapters to raise funds for a school in Honduras.
Music students perform in a local MacDonald’s, which
helps to promote the Arts Program in our local
community.
Out of the Cold Coat Drive, to take place in the two
weeks immediately following the Christmas break.
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“Walking
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Pastoral Plan for St. Roch Catholic Secondary School
“Walking
Forward
Together”
Catholic Education Week
April 30th - May 5th is Catholic Education Week.
Highlight activities or events planned for the Week:
MONDAY: STUDENT LITURGY ON TELEVISED ANNOUNCEMENTS
TUESDAY: PARENT DRIVE-THROUGH APPRECIATION
WEDNESDAY: TAKE YOUR SHIRT OFF YOUR BACK DAY
THURSDAY: FOOTSTEPS ACTIVITY TO BE DISPLAYED IN SCHOOL FOYER
FRIDAY: CLASSROOM DISCUSSION ON CATHOLIC EDUCATION
Part B: The following are suggested titles for various activities that
may support the Catholic nature of the school. Feel free to add or
change as needed.
Catholicity across the school
In collaboration with each department head, departmental activities and/or events that infuse Catholic
teaching, faith formation, and Catholic culture into the curriculum and the classrooms are highlighted.
The content within the CGE Faith Planner may be used to support this portion of the Pastoral Plan.
Department
Departmental Activities and/or Events
Physical Education
We take care of the whole person. Our Department is a
community. We work at being inclusive. Our students set goals
and priorities in school, work and personal life. Our students
participate in leisure and fitness activities for a balanced and
healthy lifestyle.
English
At St. Roch, an effective communicator is a student who listens,
reads, writes and speaks clearly and critically. With our
foundation in Catholic faith traditions, our students are able to
understand and articulate ideas in a way that is sensitive, just
and reflective of the Gospel.
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Pastoral Plan for St. Roch Catholic Secondary School
“Walking
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Mathematics
In the Mathematics classroom, students will become reflective,
creative and holistic thinkers who recognize and appreciate the
powers and beauty of Mathematics as a tool to describe God’s
universe.
Science
Our focus in Science is embedded in the vision of the learner as
outlined thus: We encourage reflective, creative and holistic
thinkers who solve problems and make responsible decisions
with an informed moral conscience for the common good.
Guidance
By relaying volunteer opportunities to our students and
encouraging them to complete their community hours we help
them recognize the importance of community involvement.
Students are able to recognize connections between themselves
and their community and this ultimately contributes to the
common good. We encourage students in creating a career path
that matches their potential for success as individuals. We assist
students along the way with their life-long plan, through level
and course recommendations, monitoring student success, and
post-secondary and career planning while working alongside
parents and community partners.
Religion/Theology
Students learn to respect the faith traditions, world religions and
the life journeys of all people of good will. The Theology
Department invites people of other faith traditions to come and
share their life experiences with our students. Theology classes
also hold multi-faith and cultural days. Students plan
ceremonies and illustrate rites of passage for different religious
faiths. This is done with the aid of prayer, traditional food,
garments and artifacts.
Students recognize that sin, human weakness, conflict and
forgiveness is at the heart of redemption. Through discussion,
students realize the importance of prayer in dealing with life
issues.
Students actively reflect on God’s Word as communicated
through the Hebrew and Christian scriptures. Students begin
class with a prayer or liturgy that they organize themselves.
They use video, song and dance to do so.
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Pastoral Plan for St. Roch Catholic Secondary School
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Students are invited to join our social justice club (ROCH CNXT)
where they will develop attitudes and values founded on
Catholic social teaching and learn to promote social
responsibility, human solidarity and the common good.
History
Addressing our call to be peacemakers, we examine the Just War
theory; in learning to value human life we examine the
dehumanization of people in the past from a faith perspective.
We teach informed voting, we promote Catholic social teaching
in areas of social justice, and we examine the preferential option
for the poor in concrete situations. We look at large systemic
injustice, advocating for the greater common good in the light of
Gospel values.
Geography
We promote stewardship of the earth; we identify the
sacramental in all of God’s creation; we promote an ethical
approach to technology and its impact; we promote the
common good over self-interest; we promote respect for all life;
we advocate for global conscience formation; we address the
geographic scope of the universal church.
Family Studies
We discuss a vocation to family life; we explore human sexuality
and reproduction in the context of Theology of the Body; we
explore sacramental marriage as a strong, supportive
environment for raising healthy children; we promote respect
for life from the moment of conception to natural death,
grounded in Catholic teaching and supported through the
biology of prenatal development; we evaluate reproductive
technology from a faith perspective, we promote a holistic and
faith approach to child development and rearing.
Moderns
We promote a universal church which extends beyond language
barriers; we address intolerance, promote tolerance and respect
for others.
Special Education
By teaching students about their exceptionalities and their
learning styles, we are empowering students to recognize their
strengths and build upon their unique gifts. In addition,
students are reminded that they have diverse needs, and they
are able to access accommodations and services to best suit
their needs. Students learn to self-advocate within their classes
and are more confident in expressing what they require. Within
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Pastoral Plan for St. Roch Catholic Secondary School
“Walking
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Together”
the Resource Room students feel valued and respected as they
have an alternative environment which provides a quieter
setting with support by an Academic Resource Teacher. This
ultimately contributes to an increased level of confidence and
positive sense of self as the student realizes they can learn and
achieve success if they access the appropriate supports.
The Interdisciplinary: Leadership in Education (IDC 4UE) course
allows mainstream students the opportunity to better
understand the diverse needs of students and the different
pathways. They assist our exceptional students in our Locally
Developed and Applied level classes, as well as students in our
Planning for Independence Program. The students in our
Planning for Independence Program are provided opportunities
both within the school and the community to develop their
social skills and live out their faith. The students feel dignified
and respected as they are integrated for a part of their day into
a mainstream class, and they are always included in school
events. In addition, their in-school work placements such as
collecting attendance, gathering recycling, and tidying the library
or chapel, create opportunities for students to engage with
others, hence creating a sense of community at St. Roch. Finally,
the Planning for Independence students attend Mass every
Monday at St. Mary’s Parish, providing an opportunity for time
to praise and worship God, self-reflect, and act as members of a
larger faith community.
In addition to the above, the Special Education Department
(Academic Resource) will also:
1. Include a prayer on the exam cover page.
2. Include a header on our tests and exams which reads:
“I can do all things through him who strengthens me.”
(Philippians 4:13)
3. Include a question related to Gospel values on ARD
exams.
4. Our students in the Planning for Independence Program
will make connections to the Gospel Values through
their community outings. For example, they will identify
feeding the less fortunate as an example of love and
compassion for one another. The teacher will create a
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Pastoral Plan for St. Roch Catholic Secondary School
“Walking
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poster which lists the Gospel Values and it will remain in
the classroom as a visual reinforcement and reminder.
Library
Through Catholic teachings, students are taught to develop
critical thinking and gospel based values, using various types of
media. Information literacy is defined as the ability to access,
select, gather, critically evaluate, create and communicate
information through a constant stream of ideas, information
online, in print, and through electronic games and mass media.
Students become risk-takers, and develop their spiritual and
intellectual lives by collaborating with peers, and with their
Catholic teachers. As students move through their years of
Catholic education, they encounter an ever-widening range of
texts. They will need skills to determine where to direct their
attention and how to interpret messages and use them
appropriately. Catholic education provides youth with strong
values that will lead them to success in their post-secondary
school years.
Choose an item.
Choose an item.
School Environment reflective of our Faith
These religious icons, symbols and visible expressions of our Catholic identity are present in the school
environment:
 This year, the icon “Christ the Teacher” has been placed above the
Tabernacle. It was purchased from St. Elias Ukranian Catholic Church
and is a significant point of contemplation and prayer in our chapel.
 Liturgical banners have been purchased for the chapel in order to
instruct and inform staff and students about the Church Calendar and
our movement through the different liturgical seasons.
 Displays for the liturgical seasons of Advent and Lent will be prominent
in the foyer entrance of the school
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Pastoral Plan for St. Roch Catholic Secondary School
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“Walking
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Each classroom has been adorned with a Haitian cross painted with the
“faces of God” and is reflective of our commitment to social justice and
solidarity with the poor
Collaborative School Culture
These activities are organized by the School Catholic Community Culture and Caring Action
Team:
Virtues posters around the school.
Staff nominate students for their practice of the Virtue of the Month.
Icons and posters purchased to hang on the walls of the school.
Parish Connections
Planned and existing initiatives that maintain and enhance positive relationships with the local parish
communities:
 The PIP class will visit St. Jerome’s Parish to make contact with Father
Jan Kolodynski and pray in the Church.
 Because of mitigating circumstances, our parish connection is replaced
by our pastoral relationship we have with Father Jim Tobin, who has
celebrated masses in our community for the past 7 years.
Staff Faith Development
Catechesis and faith formation among our staff:
Christian Meditation instruction will be provided to staff, both during a PD
day session and after school in accordance with demand and interest.
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Pastoral Plan for St. Roch Catholic Secondary School
“Walking
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Communal prayer will also take place during Heads Meetings, Staff Meetings,
and extended liturgies of the Word will take place on Professional
Development days throughout the school year.
Transitions
Students supported in the area of Transitioning from Grade 8 to Grade 9, from Grade 12 to Post
Secondary as well as from one grade to another:
A Transitions Committee organizes three retreat days for our Grade 8 students
from our feeder schools, with the purpose of informing students about life in
high school and the role that faith, ethics and morals from a Catholic
perspective plays in everyday student life.
Vocations
Vocations to religious life and pastoral ministries promoted through:
 Contact has been made with the Vocations Office of the Archdiocese
and further planning will take place with the purpose of facilitating a
visit from Father Chris Lemieux, Director of Vocations, and the
celebration of the Eucharist with the homily focusing on Vocations.
 Class presentations will also be facilitated through Joe Di Fonzo,
Program Coordinator of the Office of Vocations
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Pastoral Plan for St. Roch Catholic Secondary School
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_______________________
_____________________
Father Jim Tobin
School Council Chair
___________________________
______________________
M. Farrugia, Principal
Superintendent, Brampton West
___________________________
M. Glavine, Vice-Principal
___________________________
C. Hastings, Vice-Principal
___________________________
R. Weatherbee, Vice-Principal
___________________________
P. Marcolla
Chaplaincy Leader
___________________________
G. Lewis,
Department Head of Theology
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