Catholic Studies

Here is another mummy!   ISU ACTIVITY Per 2 HRT 3M0. EGYPTIAN RELIGION. mummification of your chosen Pharaoh. Bringing religion to life.

Ms. Meneghini's world religions class really got into the ISU.  The class activity had students create living mummies.  They really found a way to get the whole class involved.

Congratulations to Ms. Marcuzzi's class who won the door decorating contest.  They did a great job bringing the Christmas spirit to Brennan.  Very creative.

Mrs. Marcuzzi's life skills students made a beautiful mosaic for our school.  Their efforts show the talent that these students have and the work ethic they possess. 

Many of the students from F.J. Brennan were given a lot of praise by locals who appreciated their efforts for the Goodfellows organization.  Here is a letter that one local neighbour wrote in appreciation for all students but in particular Joshua Mazzanti and Collin Burko for their comportment on the day. Dear Ms. Marcuzzi, What a great idea to canvas for Goodfellows with your students! I live on Ford Boulevard, not too far from Brennan. Your students came by today, and you should know, that they were most polite and courteous. I gladly made the donation. Unfortunately, they told me I was the only one home on the street.... Hopefully more will donate on the street. As a retired principal, who worked primarily in west end and inner city schools (I retired from ICS)  many of my families  looked to Goodfellows not just for their Christmas baskets, but as a source for boots and shoes, as well as groceries, when there was a lot of month left at the end of the money. As we know, the need wil

A great tradition at Brennan is the canvassing that the Religion students do in November for Goodfellows.  The students did an excellent job in canvassing for Goodfellows this year.  They walked tirelessly to help to raise funds for local needy families.   They collected over $700 and 12 boxes of cans.  Mr. Barichello from the organization came to help coordinate the event.  Thank you to him for all the work he does in making this day a success.  Corpus Christi's Caritas club also came out to help in the efforts. A heartfelt thank you to all the teachers in the Religion department that make this day a success.   Here are a couple of pictures of the day.

These past two weeks Ms. Cozzolino Giorlando's classes were hard at work. They assisted in creating over 1000 pinwheels for the pinwheel classroom challenge for refugees.  Here is a picture o Andrew Campbell, one of the many students dedicated their time to create these simple expressions of generosity. They also dedicated their time to rake the leaves for neighbours of the Brennan area. Many heartfelt thanks for all the hard work they do everyday!

Ms. Marcuzzi's class  created 168 pinwheels, and 12 hats have so far been created for the newborn babies.  They also have started decorating for the gr. 8 Open House...4 Christmas trees.. With their helpful spirits they have also sent out flyers in the neighbourhood for leaf raking and then went out to rake neighbours' leaves. Any lottery posters and the thermometer that is in the hallway with Brennan cardinals flying around it are through the talents of her students.  What will they be up to next?

The grade 12 class retreats were an excellent opportunity for classes to think about their future and connect with each other. 

  Great charity work done by the F.J. Brennan community. A big thank you to Ms. Cozzolino Giorlando's grade 12 class for taking on themselves to spread the news about coats for kids and collecting coats as well. You see a picture of these generous individuals. Thank you to all who donated coats.  A big thank you to Ms. Bumbacco's class for collecting the most coats and winning a pizza party sponsored by Riviera Pizza on Ottawa street. Mr. Dekint's class also collected more than 20 coats.  Thanks for their generosity as well. A great many things can be accomplished if we all  pull together for a cause.

Grade 9 Religion students from Mrs. Marcuzzl's class creating baby hats for Windsor Regional Hospital (Met. campus).  Donation expected for Christmas.

 Ms. Meneghini class was learning about Aboriginal Spirituality Unit October 2015:   Students produced thoughtful and creative totems (the pictures were posted yesterday) which not only included protective entities but revealed key moments in their personal development or evolution.    These totems were presented and explained in class.  Excellent work by all.   Students also experienced the Aboriginal tradition of Oracy by participating in an Elder Circle during which they sat in a circle and  passed on a personal experience or real life story that contained a specific life lesson.   Each story was to be communicated in a clear and succinct manner.  Student presentations were well prepared, engaging and contained valuable wisdom.

 It has been a busy start to the year.   The grade 12 classes have gone on retreats to Oxley.  It was a great opportunity to connect as a class and think about what the future might bring.  We have also had guest speakers from the Windsor Occupational Health Information Service for the grade 12 students.  The students have learned about their rights as workers and about harassment in the workplace.  We hope that this will help them as they go off into the work force. Grade 11 students have been learning about aboriginal spirituality.  They created great totem poles and presentations on the topics.  Some have also looked into the truth and reconciliation commission.  There were great suggestions as to how we could build healing in our country. We hope to continue the great learning that has been going on in the department.

There have been changes again in the department.  We say a fond farewell to Mr. Grossi.  Good luck in his future endeavours.  In his place we have Ms. Diponti.  She has fit right in with the students and has helped them make a very smooth transition.   Ms. Gaffan's class has been working on creating their own personal credo's.  They have done a great job.  Kudos to them for finding the words to state what they believe in.   ISU's have begun in some of out classes.  The students are exploring bible themes such as forgiveness and faith.  They then adapt them to their life experiences.  The grade 12 classes have been looking at broader social justice issues such as sex selective abortion and suicide.  They have done a very  professional job so far dealing with these sensitive topics.  Thanks to all of them for sharing their personal stories. Earth day is tomorrow, April 22nd.  How can we start making small changes to make a big difference in the life of the planet?

The department sends a very warm welcome to Mr. Gossi who has taken over for Ms. Kyryliuk.  He has fit right in with the students. It has been very busy around here.  The students have had a great many guest speakers in Ms. Marcuzzi's classes.  They have been learning alot about nurtrition and healthy living.  Ms. Giorlando's grade 12 students have met with Engineers without Borders and learned about how lack of access to water can affect a community.  On Holy Thursday Ms. Giorlando's period 2 grade 12's students volunteered at the Downtown mission.  It was a lot of manual labour but they learned about how a little help can go a long way.  Ms. Marcuzzi's classes created cards for the Hospital  peds unit.  They were able to brighten up a child's Easter.   Ms. Giorlando's class sent cards to Phionah, the schools sponsors child, for her birthday and Easter.  Mr. Gossi's class volunteered to pack the lunches for the Downtown mission.  It was an eye openin

The department has had a few changes for this semester. Congratulations to Ms. Kyryliuk on her retirement. Good by to Ms. Quaglia who did a great job taking over for Mr. Shust while he was off. Welcome back to Mr. Shust. Welcome to Ms. Gaffan, Mr.Bauer and Ms. Balsamo who have been teaching classes this semester. They are doing a great job.

Hello, Classes are in full swing now and everyone is busy.  We would like to welcome a student teacher to the department.  Mr. Kavannaugh is with us for the month of February.  He is teaching the Grade 12 University/ College class and all is going well.  Ms. Quaglia has been with the department taking some classes for Mr. Shust.  She has helped the students out tremendously.  Thank you to her for all her hard work. With this Lenten season fast approaching take this time to reflect on ways that we can make small positive differences to the lives of those around us. Next week the grade 10 classes will start retreats. Pray for them as they reflect on their relationships. God bless.