T’was in the first semester of 2011-2012 when, in the illuminated library of an expansive and bright new school, students and staff met to form what would be known as the book club of St. Thomas Aquinas (cue gasps of astonishment).  The novel bestowed the honour of being the book club members’ first assignment was The Book Thief (cue unnecessarily loud intakes of breaths).  For those gathered around closely (closer!), The Book Thief (repeat dramatic sound effects) is a book about a thief that steals books (cue nods and noises of revelation).

In all seriousness though, The Book Thief, by Markus Zusak is an award-winner that has enchanted many.  Death itself is personified, and he narrates the story, which only heightens the emotion and tragedy of it all.  The plot is centered around a girl named Liesel Meminger who is growing up during Hitler’s reign in Germany and yes, is the book thief.  She, after the death of her brother (don’t fuss, that wasn’t a spoiler), goes to live with foster parents Hans and Rosa Hubermann, and meets many good friends who she will never forget, including a Jewish fist-fighter, a Jesse Owens wannabe and a hard-of-hearing boy with a twitch.  The book has a unique perspective, and I highly recommend it. However, I’m afraid I must warn you that I may have shed a tear or two or three while reading it, but well, given the subject matter, one can expect it to be at least a touch saddening.

Now, it is understood, nay, comprehended that some of you readers, who are still supposed to be gathered closely around me…er…  around your computer screens, due to quite drastic circumstances, are not available to attend the meetings of this mysterious (actually quite publicized) book club, but fear not!  You can still follow along by reading the book.  Also, instead of travelling on a long and perilous voyage to Chapters to buy the book for astronomical amounts of silver and gold doubloons, you can quite simply journey to STA’s own library and buy the novel for only 7$.  May I mention that that is quite a bargain?

The next book club meeting is to be held after school on Tuesday, February 14th, or Valentine’s Day for those who take note of such a holiday.  So come one and come all!  And readers, dear readers, remember to keep on reading, and of course, come join the knights of the round table whose swords are sharp literature and whose shields are the resilience of the written word!  (And they all lived happily ever after).

THE END.

STA has had a long history with the Adopt-a-Family program, participating in the charity for several years now. Each advent season, classes have volunteered to help raise money for families in Oakville, who are not as fortunate and struggle to provide basic needs to their family members.

Each of the families selected contain four members, two parents and two kids/teenagers. The money raised goes towards paying for gifts such as gift cards, bus passes and movie passes. With gift cards to places such as the mall and the grocery store, families have the opportunity to shop for their own appropriate gifts. Bus passes relieve families of the strains of funding transportation and movie passes allows for family time and entertainment for the kids.

The Adopt-a-family program has always been a successful event at STA. Students and teachers come together to help those in our community. Blinded by the idea that Oakville is a town only for people who are well off, many people fail to realize that many families struggle and that it is up to the community to come together and support each other. The STA community has always helped those in need, and as long as there are those who struggle, the students and staff of STA will be there lending out a helping hand.

• Give yourself plenty of time – Cramming doesn’t work! Trust me. I’ve tried it.
• Use your agenda to dedicate time for studying each night.
• Set up a ‘study stadium’. It should be a place where you are comfortable and there is little distraction – so unfortunately, no blaring music or TV
• Study a little bit every night
• Make your own notes and put them in your own words. You’ll understand the material better
• Cover, recite and check
• Don’t waste time on the stuff you know well. Start with the most difficult parts
• REVIEW previous tests!
• If you are not sure about something ASK!!!

Now here are some helpful strategies I found on the internet to follow on the exam:

• Arrive early and be PREPARED!
• Be comfortable but alert. Don’t slouch!
• Stay relaxed and confident! Keep a good attitude and it may be wise not to talk to panicky students right before because stress can be contagious.
• Read the instructions CAREFULLY so as to avoid careless errors! Don’t you just hate it when you get a test back and you realize you got marks off for silly mistakes?
• Before you begin the exam, quickly look through it and scan for keywords. If permitted, jot any notes that come to mind.
• Don’t waste all your time on hard questions. Answer questions in a strategic order:
  Easy questions first to build confidence.
  Then those with the most point value.
  On objective tests, eliminate obvious incorrect answers.
  On essay tests, broadly outline your answer and sequence of points.
• After you are done, if there is time, REVIEW!! Check if you have answered all the questions, not made any mistakes or mis-marked any answers.

Yes, the exam period is a stressful time for any student; but, the point is not to trip you up! So, don’t be stressed. Relax and remember to have a good night’s sleep!!

The exam schedule can be found on the school website.

GOOD LUCK RAIDERS!

Over the past week, we have heard whispers of a Harvey’s opening up near Saint Thomas Aquinas. Finally, we have discovered that the rumors are true. There is officially a Harvey’s stationed at approx. 94 Brock Street, Oakville, Ontario, Canada. It replaces of an old 50′s diner, and it is just across the street from Fortinos, so it is nice and close to our school, perfect for eating at during lunch time. While the official grand opening has yet to be revealed, I suspect it will be very soon, certainly this month, considering the restaurant is already built, so all they have to do is open the doors and let us in. I have a feeling Harvey’s will be getting a lot of business during lunch time….can’t wait!

New Mentality is a club designed to raise awareness of mental health issues, help students dealing with mental health issues, and organize events to prevent these issues from occurring. They are planning to do this in many ways. They are organizing stress relieving activities to help students relax. Their first activity was yoga, which was a huge success. They have also started doing a “mental health minute” over the PA system at the end of period 2. This is designed to give students advice on how to continue relaxing. The members of New Mentality are also bringing in speakers to talk to students about mental health and how to prevent it. Plans are already being made for their biggest event,  Mental Health Awareness week, which starts on May 7^th and ends on May 13^th.

If students want more information, they can check the display cases outside of the library or see Mrs. Ferguson in classroom 206 or workroom 2D.

Got a school project that you need to work on? Look no further than the library where the librarians, Ms. Dennis and Ms. Michie, are eager to help you and will willingly answer questions you might have.  They can help you find books relevant to whatever topic you are researching.  In fact, when I first asked Mrs. Dennis if I could interview her for aquinas.me, she was in the midst of researching information to help a student with their culminating.

New additions to the library this year have been the ‘New Books’ carousel and a collection of almost 25 of the latest magazines that are bound to catch your eye seeing as they cover nearly every area of interest (science, sports, living).  These magazines are situated on the magazine rack and are right in front of the counter.  The library is packed with resources, from online catalogs and databases to reference books to Bristol boards and duotangs which sell for 50 cents, and of course, the most useful resources are your librarians, who as previously mentioned, are very helpful.  Make sure that you check out the bulletin board for the latest news.  Also, in the new year, the library will be running a book club! (Excuse me while I let out a little “yay!”).  As one can surmise, the library is the place to be.

All in all, it’s a wonderful environment to work or study in.  It’s a workspace that feels open and yet welcoming and cozy at the same time.  So feel free to drop in sometime and enjoy the place that is my favourite room in the whole school!

P.S. Check out your book at the counter to the right BEFORE you walk through those security sensors.

Coming Up

For many students, the Christmas season doesn’t really begin until the Aquinas Christmas Assembly.  Well this year’s assembly is sure to get your Jingle Bells ringing.  Here’s a little preview:

BT Santa

Black Tom will also be in the atrium later this week during lunches dressed up as Santa.  So get your picture taken and make it a true Aquinas Christmas.

Christmas Posters

Have you missed the Black Tom Christmas posters around Aquinas?  You’d better not pout, here they are.  Happy Holidays!

ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE

SPECIAL AWARDS

TJ Lopes Winners 2010-11

Gr 9 – Julia Kennific

Gr 10 – Rachael Rishworth

Gr 11 – Michael Chamberlain

Gr. 12 – Chris Franko

SUBJECT AWARDS

Math Contest Winners 2011

Pascal (gr 9) –      Rendell Abiera (medal & certificate)

Cayley (gr 10) -  John Lu (medal & certificate), Sydney Soares (certificate)

Fermat  (gr 11) – Jonathon Smith (medal)

Euclid (gr 12) – Nelson Mendez

Brendan O'Hara

Favourite ice cream flavour?

Chocolate.

Favourite conspiracy theory?

The United States government is actually secretly trying to take over the world using the UN.

If you could dine with someone famous (either dead or alive, real or fictitious), who would it be and why?

I would dine with… Otto Von Bismarck.  He was the German chancellor who united Germany.  He was really cool. He was interesting.

Pet peeve?

Clapping.  People who clap when it’s not the right time to clap.  I hate that.  People who clap when they’re not supposed to clap; that annoys me.  I hate that sound so much.

If you could have one superpower what would it be?

Electricity.  Like I could shoot electric bolts out of my hands like in Star Wars. That would be awesome.

Worst movie you have ever watched?

Probably Epic Movie.  I hate that movie so much.  It was not funny at all.

Memory you are least likely to forget?

When I hit my dad in the face with a golf club and he got his lip cut open and had to go to the hospital for surgery.  Or when I hit my brother in the ear with a hockey stick and I cut his ear in half.  Yeah, those are memories that I will never forget in my entire life. 

If you could live anywhere in the world, where would you live?

I would live… probably in New York, maybe Boston.

Greatest fear?

Death.  The whole concept scares me.

Middle Name?

Joseph.  After my dad.

What technological device could you not live without?

The internet.  Actually no, no, yeah, yeah…

Future ambition/ career?

My future ambition is to take over the world.

Least favourite subject that you are currently taking?

Guitar.  I hate it so much.

If you could change one law, what would it be?

I would probably change the laws about the death penalty, like some crimes, like murder, I would give it the death penalty.  I don’t think it’s… I don’t know, just, not really good; I think you should just kill them because it costs too much money to keep them in jail.

Most interesting book that you have ever read?

Probably Game of Thrones.

What would you not do for one million dollars?

Jump off a cliff.  Jump off a cliff into a pile of spikes.  And be eaten alive by hyenas. I would not do that, cause that would be suicidal and he’d keep it to himself after I died.

Preferred beverage?

Orange juice. I hate coca cola; I hate pop.  Actually no, chocolate milk, that’s my preferred beverage.  Yep.

Favourite T.V. program?

Mythbusters.

Do you have any collections, and if so, what of?

I used to but not anymore.

Favourite colour and why?

Blue.  Because when I was little blue started with b and so did my name so then I started liking the colour blue.  That is why. 

Favourite animal and why?

Elephant.  Because they’re one of the most intelligent animals.  They’re very… they have many human-like qualities and when I was little my parents gave me lots of elephant toys and then I just started liking them.

Favourite food?

Potatoes.

Do you believe ghosts, and why or why not?

No.  “Oh look, ooh, something’s moving, oh it must be a ghost.”  It’s just people trying to explain something that they can’t explain.  It’s like saying aliens did it, like, “who made the pyramids?”  Aliens. So no, I don’t believe in ghosts.  There’s no logic to them and it’s just complete crap.

What is your greatest weakness?

Oreos.  If there are Oreos I would do anything to get Oreos.

Greatest strength?

I can read for a very long period of time without stopping.  When I’m like reading I go into another dimension where I don’t need to eat, sleep or drink water.  I’ll just read.  Forever.  It could be a strength but it could be a weakness though cause I might starve to death if I read too long.

If you had to change your name, what would you change it to?

Um… Daniel.

Name 1 thing not many people know about you:

My name.  Many people don’t know who I am anyways.