St. Vincent de Paul Catholic School
665 Willowbank Trail,
Mississauga, Ontario L4W 3L6
Telephone: (905) 848- 5397
Fax: (905) 848-0738
Principal:
Head Secretary:
Superintendent:
Pastor:
D. Brkic
S. Ferenc
T. Lariviere 905 890-1221
Fr. Brian Clough 905 270-2301
Trustee: M. Pascucci 905 302-3096
Chair of the Board of Trustees
Fax: 905 890-0888 905 890-0708
mario.pascucci@dpcdsb.org
May 2015
Loving God,
In Mary You have given
Your church a sign of the glory to come.
May those who honour the Virgin Mother
Look to her as a model of holiness for all Your
people.
We ask this through Christ our Lord.
Amen
MARY, THE MOTHER OF OUR SAVIOUR
May is the month we dedicate to Mary, the mother of
our Saviour, Jesus. We celebrate Mary, who humbly and
gladly accepted God’s will when she said “Yes” to our
Lord. As we honour Mary and all mothers, we are
reminded of the many blessings mothers bestow upon
their children each and every day.
In May,
we
celebrate
the Virtue of
Acceptance
Virtues
Assembly
May 20,
2015
at 2:45 p.m.
May 10, 2015 is Mother's Day. Happy Mother's day to
all the mothers in our school community.
DATES TO REMEMBER
May 3 Catholic Education Week
May 10 Mother’s Day
May 11 PA Day – No school for students
May 12 Crowning of Mary Celebration
9:30 Junior/Intermediate
11:00 Primary
May 18 Victoria Day
May 12 7:00 p.m. CSC Meeting
May 20 2:45 p.m. Virtues Assembly
May 25 EQAO starts
“A Love of Christ and a Love of Learning”
MAY VIRTUE - ACCEPTANCE
SACRAMENTS
A Person of Acceptance…
 Is friendly and open to all God’s people, regardless
of age, beliefs, gender, culture or ability
 Sees the positive traits in all people even if s/he
disagrees with them
 Avoids judging or stereotyping others
 Understands that there may be more than one way
to do things
 Sticks up for the ‘underdog’
Congratulations to our grade two students who received
their First Holy Communion in April.
We wish all the best to our Grade 8 students who will
receive the sacrament of Confirmation later this month.
EASTER MASS
Thank you to the parents who joined us on April 15 to
celebrate the Easter mass with us.
One of the great wonders of the world we live in is that
no two people are exactly alike.
We may share biological families or national identity or
cultural and ethnic identity but we are all very unique
and distinct creations. God breaks the mold every time!
The virtue of acceptance describes our ability to look at
the attitudes and actions of those around us and
consider each person without judging them. The virtue
of acceptance means that we look beyond what we seea person’s skin colour, ethnic background, religion, age,
gender and see a person created and loved by God.
In April, we celebrated the virtue of Love. Congratulations
to all students who received certificates for modelling the
virtue of Love for all of us.
“Were not our hearts burning within us while He was
talking to us on the road?” – Luke 24:32
The sub-themes for Catholic Education Week 2015 are as
follows:
Monday: Walking Together and Sharing our Story
Tuesday:
Opening
the
Scriptures
Wednesday:
Welcoming Others to the Table
Thursday: Recognizing Jesus in the Breaking of the Bread
Friday: Proclaiming the Good News
CROWNING OF MARY
The Rosary Apostolates
will be helping us organize
the Crowning of Mary
liturgies on May 12.
Junior/Intermediate
celebration is at 9:30 a.m., while Primary celebration is
at 11:00 a.m. All parents are welcome.
Catholic Education Week begins on a Sunday to highlight
the partnership that remains the foundation of Catholic
education between our Catholic schools and local Catholic
parishes. Throughout Catholic Education Week, we ask you
to reflect on the significance of Catholic education’s
presence and contribution in our Church, and in our
society. We invite all members of our community, to
participate in the celebrations and activities that will mark
the celebration of Catholic Education Week 2015 in our
schools.
We are highlighting some of the activities/events that will
take place at St. Vincent de Paul School during the Catholic
Education Week.
“A Love of Christ and a Love of Learning”
Mme. Ciminelli’s Grade 5/6 and 4/5 classes will present
two plays: L’arbre ungali and Un jour bizarre.
OUR
CATHOLIC
SCHOOL HERITAGE
Grade 3 music projects are displayed in the front foyer
and our Junior students will embark on a Scavenger Hunt
on Wednesday. Grade 2 and 3 students will be singing
and making crafts!
13. How did Catholic
high schools survive?
For Catholic Education Week, the Grade 8s will be
exploring the theme for Day 2: "Opening the Scriptures"
by reflecting on the miracle stories/drawings that are
presented in Tomie dePaola's book "The Miracles of
Jesus." The students will create their own drama or
dance representation of one of the miracle stories with a
contemporary message that will integrate the CEW
theme of "Exploring Paths of Joy" with our Global
Inequalities geography inquiry unit. Parents are welcome
to visit the class and see these dramatic/dance
presentations on Tuesday, May 5th from 9:40 a.m. to
11:00 a.m. The students will also be creating their own
music video on this theme at that time.
Catholic parents and
students paid tuition after grade ten. Parental groups
raised money from draws, lotteries and school events.
Parish priests contributed money from their Sunday
collections. Many separate school boards, including
Dufferin-Peel, opened intermediate-division (i.e. grades
seven-to-ten) schools. With the vital assistance of the
religious teaching Orders (which taught in and
administered grades eleven to thirteen for little or
nothing), the diocese continued to operate private Catholic
high schools and opened new ones. In fact, Philip Pocock,
the Archbishop of Toronto, decided in 1971 to open one
new Catholic high in the archdiocese every year until the
government approved tax and grant funding for grades
eleven to thirteen.
To celebrate Catholic Education Week and this month’s
virtue of acceptance, the FDK classes will be exploring
what it means to be accepting and welcoming others to
the table as Jesus did. Please support our FDK classes on
Wednesday, May 6 at 10:45 a.m.
Ms. Dutka and Ms. Heinisch are organizing a Public
Speaking Contest on the Friday afternoon.
Please refer to the schedule of events that was sent home
on Friday.
14. How was the Catholic high school issue resolved?
In 1984, Premier William Davis, edified by the commitment
to Catholic high schools of the Catholic community and
convinced of the injustice of truncated separate schools,
announced that the government would be completing the
separate school system to the end of high school. The
Supreme Court of Canada unanimously responded to a
court challenge against the ensuing legislation by asserting
that separate schools before Confederation were
operating secondary school education with funding from
taxes and government grants and, therefore, section 93(1)
of the Canadian Constitution guaranteed the right of
separate school boards to administer from junior
kindergarten to the end of high school. After almost sixty
years of financial sacrifice by the Catholic community,
Catholic high schools once more became an equal partner
in Ontario’s publicly funded school system.
15. Catholic separate schools had a second obstacle to
their survival. How serious a problem for separate school
boards was the corporation tax issue?
This was very serious. As corporations like the Ford Motor
Co., Inco, the Royal Bank of Canada and thousands of
“A Love of Christ and a Love of Learning”
others came on the scene, and as public utilities like the
Ontario Hydro and the Canadian National Railway were
created, they could not pay separate school property
taxes. Thus the assessment of urban public school boards
became wealthier and wealthier, while separate school
boards received taxes from only Catholic home and
property owners and from fully or partially owned small
businesses. By the 1920s urban separate school boards
were operating with about one-quarter to one-fifth of the
revenues of their urban public schools boards. There
were no compensatory government grants
GOOD LUCK, MICHELLE AND CONGRATULATIONS!!! YOU
HAVE MADE US PROUD AT SVDP!!! COULD WE HAVE A
FUTURE PRIME MINISTER OF CANADA IN THE MAKING???
16. How did separate school boards survive without
corporation tax revenues?
The separate school trustees controlled the boards’
budgets with more pupils per classroom than in the
public schools, with much lower wages, with bare-bones
programs, with small playgrounds, and with minimum
expenditures for the erection of new schools. These
methods still could not balance their budgets. The main
contribution for the survival of separate schools came
from the religious teaching Orders. They supplied
principals and teachers and worked for salaries of $300
to $600 a year when public school teachers were earning
$3,000 and up. There is no question that Ontario’s
Catholics owe today’s separate schools to the religious
Orders.
DIVERSITY CONFERENCE
On April 23rd, some members of the SVDP Diversity Club
had the opportunity to join the other schools from
Mississauga East to showcase and celebrate diverse
initiates within the schools. Thank you to the students
that were able to represent St. Vincent de Paul in such a
positive way! Thank you to Mrs. Pileggi and Ms. Heinisch
for their time and commitment to the Diversity Club.
GRADE 8 STUDENT MAKES HISTORY FOR SVdP
SCHOOL
This year, we are celebrating the 200th birthday of Sir John
A. MacDonald, Canada’s first Prime Minister. To honour
Sir John and the impact he had on the creation and
development of Canada, Dufferin-Peel is hosting a boardwide multimedia contest. Students from across the board
were invited to produce a reflective speech or a Spoken
Word poem which showcased their knowledge and insight
into the life and times of Sir John A. Macdonald.
Our Grade 8 students did a wonderful job creating their
Spoken Word Poems and Speeches!
On April 15th, Michelle Pham represented SVDP at the
Mississauga East Family of Schools competition and
placed first for the presentation of her insightful and
compelling Spoken Word poem. She will be going to the
Board Finals on May 13th to represent the entire
Mississauga East Family of Schools!
“A Love of Christ and a Love of Learning”
EQAO UPDATE
This year the EQAO assessments for students in grades 3
and 6 will take place between May 25 and June 5.
Therefore, we kindly ask that parents try to avoid
medical or dental appointments during the assessment
periods. Watch for more details closer to the assessment
dates.
Camp Muskoka was fun!
SVdP ECO TEAM
April was a busy and exciting month
for the Eco Team. Our Waste Free
Wednesdays continue to be a great
success
within
the
school
community. The Eco Team led the
school in a creative and
entertaining Earth Day assembly on
April 22. Students from grades 3 to
6 performed a dramatic Earth Day poem, sang an
informational Earth Day Rap and read The Lorax, by Dr.
Seuss. Our classes also participated in an outdoor cleanup. We are awaiting our Eco Certification from Ontario
EcoSchools in mid-June. Thank you to the Eco Team for
teaching us about the importance of taking care of our
world!
Please keep sending clean, dry milk bags to school with
your child. Milk bag mats are in great demand and are
currently being shipped to Africa and other countries
worldwide via Dr. Simone’s Missions. Thank you to the
school community for supporting our initiatives.
Thank you to Ms. Anderson, Ms. Murphy and Ms. De
Francesco for providing guidance to our Eco Club.
EQAO Parent Tips:
 Celebrate your child’s successes and hard work
each day.
 Remind your child that the assessment will have
questions asking them things that they have
already learned in class.
 Be sure your child receives enough sleep every
night so that they are rested.CO-CURRICULAR AND
SCHOOL COUNIL CORNER
 During test days ensure that your child eats a
healthy full breakfast
 Remember to keep a positive and relaxed attitude
in the home environment.
 Do not force your child to study for these tests.
They are already working hard at school.
 For additional information on grades 3 and 6
testing visit the EQAO website at www.eqao.com
and click on “Parent Resources”.
SCHOOL ORGANIZATION FOR SEPTEMBER 2015
We will be meeting soon to work on class placements for
September 2015. When determining placement, we
consider many factors. Although we are limited in our
placement options due to the school size, we make every
effort to create balanced classes. As your input is always
appreciated, please submit any concerns you may have in
writing by May 20, 2015.
Please do not make specific requests for a teacher as
current and tentative assignments may change between
now and September.
ONLINE REPORTING TOOL
The Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School board has
developed a new way to help nurture a safe, caring and
inclusive school environment. The Online Reporting Tool is
intended for students in grades 3 – 8 who become aware
of bullying incidents and negative behaviours. The student
can simply ‘click’ on the link found on our school’s website
to fill out the report. The report will then be directly
“A Love of Christ and a Love of Learning”
emailed to the principal and/or vice principal and will be
dealt with accordingly.
It is important to recognize that the Online Reporting Tool
is an alternate reporting option. It is best practice to
speak directly with a responsible adult at home and/or in
the school.
Please send a note in advance, to your child’s teacher when
your child needs to be picked up early, then meet them in
the office and sign them out.
If delivering lunches to your child at school, please write
your child’s and teacher’s names on lunch bags and leave
them on the lunch table in the front foyer. This would be
greatly appreciated.
BEFORE AND AFTER SCHOOL CHILD CARE PROGRAM
WARM WEATHER DRESS CODE
Students are expected to dress in an appropriate manner
and wear attire that is suitable for the school
environment. Boys must wear t-shirts with sleeves. Girls
are not to wear anything strapless or have bare midriffs.
Tank tops and crop tops are not acceptable nor are very
short shorts. Shirts with offensive language or pictures are
not allowed. If students do not adhere to these
guidelines, parents will be called and/or alternative attire
will be provided. We trust you will assist us in maintaining
a sense of dignity and modesty within our Catholic
learning environment.
PLASP currently has spaces available at St. Vincent de
Paul School. Children are involved in fun-filled
recreational activities and are provided nutritious snacks
in a warm and caring environment.
For information, please contact Ms. Murray regarding
kindergarten or Mrs. White for school age children.
You may also access www.plasp.com for more
information.
SUPERVISION OF STUDENTS
Supervision begins at 8:45 a.m. and ends at 3:30 p.m.
Please do not bring/send your children to school earlier
than this time. Given safety concerns, it is not a good idea
to leave your children outside unattended as student
supervision in the yard begins at 8:45 and not before.
Please make other arrangements for the care of your
children prior to 8:45 a.m. Please meet your child at the
back of the school at 3:30p.m. for dismissal. Students
should not be leaving the building through the front door.
MINIMIZING DISRUPTIONS
We appreciate continued parental help and support in
minimizing disruptions to classes, whenever possible.
If you wish to discuss something with your child’s teacher,
we ask that you set up an appointment with the teacher.
Approaching the teacher, before, during and/or after
school makes it difficult for the teacher to focus on
her/his students. This also becomes a safety issue. Please
leave a message with the office and the teacher will call
you back.
If your child is late, please have him/her report to the
office. PLEASE DO NOT ESCORT YOUR CHILD TO CLASS.
WELCOME TO KINDERGARTEN
All parents who have registered their child for Full Day
Kindergarten for September 2015 are invited to attend
(with their child) a ‘Welcome to Kindergarten’ information
evening at
St. Vincent de Paul Catholic School on May 27th, 2015 @
6:00 p.m. The children will have an opportunity to
experience some worthwhile activities to help with their
transition to the school setting. Each child will bring home
a bag of useful supplies to practice these preschool skills,
such as, reading readiness, number and letter awareness
and the like.
This initiative is supported by The Learning Partnership, a
national not-for-profit organization dedicated to
championing a strong education system in Canada.
“A Love of Christ and a Love of Learning”
LUNCH HOUR ROUTINES
A reminder that students who regularly stay for
lunch are NOT permitted to leave school property
without a signed and dated note from parents each
time they leave school grounds. Students either go
home for lunch or stay in school for lunch. Thank you
for supporting this important safety routine.
PARENTS IN THE SCHOOL YARD
Dufferin-Peel is offering the Full-Day Kindergarten
program in all 123 Catholic elementary schools in
Mississauga, Brampton, Caledon, Bolton and Orangeville.
Registration materials are available for pick-up at the
schools. Parents/guardians are to register their child in
person at their designated Catholic school. To find out
which Catholic school is in your area, please contact our
Planning Department at 905-890-0708 ext. 24440.
Parents/Guardians should bring the following documents
when registering their child:
· Proof of age of the child (birth certificate or
passport)
· Original Catholic Baptismal Certificate of the
Roman, Greek or Ukrainian Rite, for parent (one)
and child (if the child has not been baptized, a
letter of counseling with the parish priest, to
complete the process will be accepted.
· Updated immunization records
· Proof of home address (2 pieces: utility bill, bank or
credit card statement, rental agreement)
· Proof of English Separate School support (may
be done at the time of registration by completing an
Application For the Direction of School Support
and/or Separate School Lease Agreement available
at the school.
Our Welcome to Kindergarten night is scheduled
for May 7th, 2015. Parents will be contacted with
more information.
Thank you for your cooperation, parents and
caregivers for not entering the schoolyard when
dropping off your children.
DRIVEWAY/ KISS AND RIDE SAFETY
Many thanks to parents / guardians who have been
using the correct and safe procedure for dropping
their children off in the morning in our Kiss and Ride
program. Our driveway is made safer when
everyone cooperates. Please ensure you have pulled
up to the front of the drop line to let children in or
out of your car. If you need to park your vehicle for
a few minutes, please use the parking lot in order to
ensure everyone’s safety. The driveway gets very
congested as 9:00 a.m. approaches, and many
students are arriving after the bell rings. Please be
aware that it is our expectation that children arrive
at school on time and prepared to work.
LATE ARRIVALS
All students from FDK to Grade 8, should start school
on time. This prevents interruption of classes and
loss of information for the students. A student is
considered late if the school bell has rung and they
are not in line and entering the school with their
classmates. Being consistently and continuously late
interrupts the classroom during lessons, creates
delays in the office and sets a poor example for
those who do arrive on time. Please encourage and
assist your child(ren) to recognize that punctuality is
a responsibility which all students should be
developing.
“A Love of Christ and a Love of Learning”
SABRINA’S LAW-ANAPHYLAXIS
If your child has a severe reaction to peanuts,
peanut by-products, bee/wasp stings or any other
allergies or medical conditions, please let the school
know as soon as possible. It is essential that the
information you provide to us is accurate and up-todate.
There are various forms which need to be
completed by you and your family doctor if it is
necessary to store an epipen/medication at school.
We continue to have students with severe, life
threatening allergies to nuts and peanuts. Although
this may or may not affect your child’s class directly,
we require your continue cooperation in sending
foods to school that are free of peanuts, nuts, or
their by-products. We cannot guarantee that any
classroom is nut free, but we are attempting to
minimize the exposure and keep everyone as safe
and healthy as possible.
IMMUNIZATION
Ontario Law (Immunization of School Pupils Act,
1990) requires all school age children to be
immunized against Diphtheria, Tetanus, Polio,
Measles, Mumps and Rubella. The law requires Peel
Health to keep up-to-date records of your child’s
immunization. In the past we have had a number of
students receive letters of suspension from school
due to records not being updated at the Health
Department. It is your responsibility to forward the
information to Peel Health. Whenever you have your
child immunized, inform the Health Department.
Your child, before turning age 7, must have the Age
4-6 Booster for Diphtheria, Tetanus, Polio. All
necessary immunization records for your children
must be sent to Peel Health. You may fax your upto-date information to Peel Health at 840-7144 or
call 791- 7800 ext. 7661.
EMERGENCY PROCEDURES
St. Vincent de Paul School is required to conduct
three fire drills in the fall and three in the spring. We
will also be conducting two lockdown drills
throughout the year. These drills are standard
practice across the Board and ensure that in the
event of a real emergency our students and staff can
respond quickly and appropriately. If you have any
questions or concerns regarding these drills please
speak to your child’s teacher or the main office.
In rare circumstances, our students and staff may
need to evacuate the building as a result of an
emergency in the building or in the nearby
community. Our evacuation site is John Cabot
Secondary School. Board regulations and safety
precautions require this contingency plan. Should
an evacuation be necessary, you will be notified as
soon as possible and your child will be held at John
Cabot School until we make direct contact with a
parent/guardian.
CUSTODY OF CHILDREN
On rare occasions, we are faced with difficult
situations in which non-custodial parents arrive at
our school asking to visit with their child or take their
child home after school. We are best able to serve
and protect the child when we are made aware of
legal custody arrangements, visitation rights and
special instructions. If legal custody matters affect
your family, please ensure that our office and
classroom teachers are aware of custodial
agreements between parents. We require that a
copy of all legal documentation be kept in your
child’s school records.
ALLEGATION OF SEXUAL ABUSE REGARDING
THE LATE FR. JAMES (JIM) ROTH, OSFS
Information regarding an allegation of sexual abuse
of a minor related to the late Fr. James (Jim) Roth,
OSFS, is posted on the Dufferin-Peel Catholic District
School Board’s main webpage at www.dpcdsb.org.
Additional information, including where to report
abuse or suspected abuse, is also posted on the
website of Father Roth’s religious order, the Oblates
of St. Francis de Sales, at www.tdprovince.org and
the Archdiocese of Toronto at www.archtoronto.org
Please consult these sources as appropriate.
“A Love of Christ and a Love of Learning”
SUMMER LITERACY CAMP
ADULT PROGRAMS
Remedial Literacy Program
Grades SK to 6
July 6 - July 24, 2015
3 week program
Fee-for-service
9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
Students recommended by the Principal
No transportation provided.
Deadline for applications: May 29, 2015
Mississauga
Father Daniel Zanon
St. Bernard Clairvaux
St. Gerard
St. Simon Stock
St. Timothy
St. Vincent De Paul






Contact Adult and Continuing Education for more
details: 905-891-9263
ELEMENTARY SUMMER SCHOOL
Grade 7 and 8 students
Remedial literacy and numeracy
June 29 - July 17, 2015
8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Students recommended by the Principal
Busing provided at home school pick up points
Deadline for applications: May 29, 2015
Mississauga
Bishop Scalabrini
Holy Cross
St. Faustina
St. Francis of Assisi
St. Gertrude
Contact Adult and Continuing Education for more
details: 905-891-9263
ESL
CITIZENSHIP
FSL
ADULT CO-OP
COMPUTER CLASSES
PSW – BRIAN J. FLEMING LOCATION ONLY
Various ESL Sites (July ONLY)
St. Gabriel Adult Learning Centre
Brian J. Fleming Adult Learning Centre
July and August
Contact Adult and Continuing Education for more
details: 905-891-9263
http://www.dpcdsb.org/CEC/Programs/Adult+Educ
ation/
THE POWER OF AN HOUR!
In-School Mentoring Program
Big Brothers Big Sisters in collaboration with the
Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board matches
students in Grades 2 – 5 with a caring adult mentor.
Matches meet for 1 hour, once a week at the child’s
school, during school hours and on school property.
Together they share in fun activities such as crafts,
board games, playing basketball or talking. The
result – increased self-esteem, better grades and
improved relationships with family and peers.
Students are in need of mentors at schools
throughout Peel Region.
BECOME A VOLUNTEER TODAY!
Visit www.bbbspeel.com to learn more about InSchool Mentoring.
“A Love of Christ and a Love of Learning”
Volume 8
May
Developing Mindsets that Promote Growth
What do wethe
mean
by “mindset”?
Remember
Ontario
Educational Re
Mindsets are the assumptions and expectations we have for
ourselves and others. These attitudes guide our behavior and
influence our responses to daily events.
- Dr. Robert
Brooks
Probability:
A number from 0 to 1 that
shows how likely it is that an
event will happen.
Tips for Fostering a Growth Mindset:
Tip # 4. Be mindful of the goals you set for your children
and the messages they send.
 Work with your child to set goals that are
reasonable and desirable for both of you.
 All goals should emphasize growth – the
development of a skill or the expanding
knowledge.
Grades 7 & 8: Continuing
the Conversation About
Your Money Decisions!
Let’s discuss “Money in the News”…
 Have your child monitor the news in all
its forms (T.V., on-line…) to watch for
stories about money.
 Talk with your child about some of the
stories or items they have heard about
in the news (e.g., how could this ‘news
story’ impact our community and/or
family financially?)
Family Math Activities K-3
Big Bi
Ideas
In probability situations, one
can never be sure what will
happen next.
Try this game during a car ride:
Call out events and have your child decide
whether it is something likely, is not likely or
will never happen. You are limited only by
your imagination! (e.g., we will swim in
January, a dinosaur is coming to the local zoo,
the leaves will change colour in the fall)
Probability from 4-6
Experimental Probability (a real-life experience): Suppose we have three pairs of socks
in a drawer, one blue pair, one green pair, and one red pair. What is the probability of
getting a matching pair if we reach into the drawer and, without looking, pick two socks?
Theoretical Probability (based on analyzing what could happen): Suppose you have
three pairs of socks in the laundry, one blue pair, one green pair, and one red pair. Now
suppose that somehow four socks disappear. Which is more likely: that the two socks
that are left will match or that they will not match?
Elementary Mathematics Program Team