Dear Students/Parents/Guardians,

It is my pleasure to welcome you to Michael Power/St. Joseph Catholic High School as we begin the 2021-2022 school year!  I am honoured to take on the mantle of leadership as Principal of MP/SJ and look forward to serving this community in a new capacity.    

As we begin this school year, I am filled with hope about what the upcoming year will bring.  Our school's twin mottos and the wisdom of our founding religious orders provide a spiritual roadmap for our return to school in September 2021.  The Sisters of St. Joseph encourage us to enter into relationship with Christ and with one another through their motto, "The love of Christ gathers us together into one."  Through the motto, "Teach me goodness, discipline and knowledge," the Basilian Fathers encourage us to become fully alive as we discover the fullness of our God-given potential in mind, body, and spirit.  Our school's twin mottos clearly take on a special significance as we continue to navigate this challenging period of pandemic and seek to renew our sense of community as we re-open our school.        

The upcoming school year certainly promises to be a year like no other as we will be focusing on a number of important areas in relation to health and safety, hybrid teaching/learning, faith formation, and curriculum development.  As we re-open the school after a prolonged period of closure, we are cognizant of the need to remain vigilant in following TPH health and safety protocols.  As we continue to navigate this challenging period of pandemic, we will strive to renew our sense of community and support students’ mental health and well-being as they return to in-person/remote learning.  As students have opted to engage in remote or in-person learning, teachers and support staff will continue to refine methods of hybrid instruction and academic support.  At the same time, we are thrilled to start a new three-year pastoral plan ("Walking with Christ - with eyes of faith and hope, with hearts of kindness and love, with minds of justice and peace") under the guidance of the NCC Department and our local Chaplaincy Team.  Our Mathematics Department will be leading us in our goal to achieve more equitable outcomes for all students as they engage students in new learning opportunities with the Grade 9 De-streamed Math Curriculum.  This is but a taste of what awaits us in the 2021-2022 school year!    

Over the course of my time in administration at MP/SJ, I have been deeply impressed by our students.  Through their strong commitment to learning, deep engagement in faith formation, and tremendous passion for extracurriculars, they are the reason why MPSJ has become known as the "Home of Scholars and Champions."  I am equally impressed by our dedicated staff - through their significant collaboration and investment in professional learning opportunities, they strive to create safe and inclusive learning environments to support the well-being of our students while helping students to achieve new academic heights.  Lastly, I am indebted to our parent/guardian community - through our CSPC, they play an active role in enhancing the school experience for our students.    

I trust that through our numerous academic programming pathways as well as the many opportunities for extracurricular involvement, faith formation and leadership development, our students will have the opportunity to discover their God-given potential and the vocation to which they are called.

Martin Clough

Principal 

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