MAR
Principal’s Message
2016
98 Wanita Road
Mississauga ON,
L5G 1B8
Phone 905.891.7619
Fax 905.278.6539
Trustees
Mario Pascucci,
Bruno Iannicca,
Sharon Hobin,
Esther O'Toole,
Luz del Rosario,
Anna Abbruscato,
Anna Da Silva,
Thomas Thomas,
Darryl D’Souza,
Frank Di Cosola,
Shawn Xaviour
Superintendent
T. Lariviere
Principal
Brian Diogo
Lord Jesus Christ,
You gather your people during this
Holy Season of Lent,
and call us to repent.
As we return back to you once again,
open our hearts,
so that we might be transformed in your
image.
Remove any barriers that keep us from
you,
so that we may live fully the life we
received at Baptism.
Help us to love you more and to reach out
to others in friendship,
especially to those who need it most.
May the ashes that we receive on our
foreheads remind us of your call to
change.
May Your Spirit give us the courage and
strength, we need to be people of faith
By Your grace,
may we turn to you in our abundance, and
share your love with the world around us.
We ask this in Jesus’ name
A. Litster
School Council
Co-Chairs
D. Rookwood
J. Richards
During the month of March, we will focus on
the virtue of Kindness by celebrating and recognizing students, staff and parents for their kind
acts. If you witness any acts of kindness, please
let us know so that we can acknowledge them
during our Virtues assembly. As well, our
school community will once again continue the
important commitment to our Catholic charity
of ShareLife and encourage everyone to support
our activities as best as they can. It is through
these acts that we can support one another during our Lenten journey.
As March Break approaches I would like to
wish everyone in the St. James School Community an enjoyable and restful week with family
and friends.
May God Bless You,
Amen
Secretary
As the season of Lent continues, let us persevere through our Lenten journey and remember
the forty days of sacrifice that Jesus spent in the
desert preparing for His ministry. Let us use this
time to engage in prayer, fasting and almsgiving
as we eagerly anticipate the Easter season.
B. Diogo
Principal
INSIDE THIS ISSUE:
Living Our Faith
2
PYP
2/3/4
MYP
5
School Council
6
Jayhawk News
7/8
Take Note & Upcoming Dates
9
MARCH BREAK
There will be no school from
Monday March 14th to Friday March
18th.
The students will return on
Monday March 21st, 2016.
PAGE
2
Living Our Faith
Virtue Corner
MARCH ~ KINDNESS
This month we will celebrate the virtue of KINDNESS.
A person with kindness…
Says nice things about others so they
feel good about themselves.
 Sticks up for people who are picked on
or need help.
 Refuses to join others who are insulting,
intimidating, mean or hurtful.
 Watches and looks for way to help those
in need.

God has given us the gifts of friends and companions to keep us company and to help us out along
the way.
Every person in our lives carries the Spirit of God and so every person is our brother or sister through
Jesus Christ. As brothers and sisters who share one
Holy Spirit, we are all valuable to God. We all deserve to be shown concern for our welfare and our
feelings. We have all been given the fruit of the
Spirit called kindness. Kindness can only be seen
through actions. It’s not enough to say I will be
kind or I am kind. We must show that we are kind
by our words and our actions. Through prayer and
concentration, we can get better at showing kindness to everyone we meet.
PYP
As a Catholic school we emphasize the virtues
program along with the IB learner attributes and
attitudes. Together we encourage our students to
be kind cooperators caring for others, leading
when necessary and being kind always. This
month will celebrate the virtue of Kindness.
Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave
you.
Ephesians 4:32
The IB Attribute for this month is Caring. Students will
be encouraged to understand that being a caring person
means having a personal commitment to service, and to
act to make a positive difference in the lives of others and
to the environment.
The IB Attitude for this month is Cooperation. Students
will be encouraged to be happy to cooperate, lead or follow depending on the situation.
We also align the Catholic Graduate Expectations with
our program’s focus on the development of the student
learner.
The Ontario Catholic Graduate
Expectations
Vision of the Learner:
The graduate is expected to be a caring family member. Students are encouraged to relate to family members
in a loving, compassionate and respectful manner. We want our students to value the importance of family and we encourage them to engage in
daily prayer with family at home.
Student-led conferences at St. James
Last month, St. James held their annual student-led conferences as a means to communicate information about assessment
and learning to parents. The student-led conferences allowed students to communicate to their parents what they know, what they
understand and what they can do.
MARCH
2016
NEWSLETTE R
PAGE
PYP
During the conferences, each student was responsible for
being the spokesperson for their learning – to share their
successes and challenges, to share their goals and next
steps. The purpose of these conferences is to help create a
stronger partnership between parents, students and the
teacher by deepening the triangulation of communication
between the three parties.
Once again, the teachers were impressed with the students’ ability to articulate what their learning involves
and their ability to explain what they have been doing
and why. We believe that our student-led conferences
help the students develop their understanding of themselves as IB learners and provide them with the opportunity for them to reflect critically on their strengths and
challenges.
MARCH
2016
NEWSLETTE R
3
PYP
During the student-led conferences, the students were
responsible for leading their parents on a tour of the
room, explaining learning goals, group tasks, presentation of work, etc. They walked around the room and
discussed current and previous units of inquiry; accessed the school’s laptops and iPads to view student
work, projects or their My Blueprint portfolios; they
engaged in problem solving tasks with their parents as
well as reviewed their individual portfolio of class
work, assessments, reflections, and learning goals.
The students were very excited and motivated to take
the lead about their own learning and to share their
work and progress with their parents. We are confident
that this term’s student-led conferences provided you
all with a deeper view into your child’s learning and we
look forward to partaking in more collaborative learning experiences with you in the months to come.
PAGE
PYP
4
PYP
Grade 2 Unit of Inquiry
Last month the grade two students in Ms. Perreault and
Ms. Galea’s classes used the IB Transdisciplinary theme
Where We Are in Place and Time to inquire into the
orientation in place and time; personal histories; homes
and journeys; the discoveries, explorations and migrations of humankind; the relationships between and the
interconnectedness of individuals and civilizations, from
local and global perspectives.
During this unit the students focused on understanding
the central idea that simple machines and mechanisms
make life easier for humans. The lines of inquiry that
were used to focus the students’ learning and deepen their
understanding included:

Machines are made up of more than one mechanism

Inquiry into inventions of the past

The use of simple machines in past civilizations
The students also hosted an Inventions Showcase for
some of the other classes in the school. The students’
success criteria included: designing and building an
invention using 2 or more simple machines that could
be used to help make life easier for humans. The students displayed their inventions for others to see and
explained how they were created and how they worked.
In order to further develop the students understanding of
the central idea and lines of inquiry, Bricks 4 Kidz came
in for an in-school workshop. Bricks 4 Kidz uses LEGO
Bricks to deliver hands-on lessons that are multi-sensory
and fun. The presenters provided the students with an
overview of the six simple machines and gave them the
opportunity to build two different types of simple machines – a wheel and axle and a lever using the LEGO.
The students enjoyed learning about simple machines
and gained a lot of new knowledge and wonderings
along the way. This month grade 2 classes will begin
their next unit of inquiry under the IB Transdisciplinary
theme of How W e Express Ourselves.
MARCH
2016
NEWSLETTE R
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MYP
March Feature:
Mathematics
Mathematics is a subject that represents much more
than simply numbers. Engaging in math offers children the opportunity to:




develop analytical and reasoning skills,
develop abstract and logical thinking skills,
apply problem solving skills in a variety of situations,
search for patterns and relationships.
Students’ math exploration in the MYP is an authentic one, being set in real life contexts. Many connections are made between the mathematics strands, as
well as to other areas of the curriculum. Mathematic
understanding and application is required in all subject areas. It is particularly important to applying
formulas in the Sciences, creating graphs in Social
Sciences, accuracy of design in the Arts, and so on.
The teaching and learning approach to mathematics
is process oriented. Students are provided with the
chance to select appropriate tools and strategies to
unpack and solve problems. Through collaboration
and group sharing, MYP students are exposed to a
variety of methods to form conclusions. Inherently,
reflection becomes an inherent part of the learning.
The MYP Year 1 – 3 students are studying geometry
at this time. The current focus is 2-dimensional geometry and its connection to transformational design. The latter unit foci draws upon knowledge
from previous years, but also integrates new terminology and system use into the studies. The Cartesian Coordinate Grid is an example of such.
MARCH
2016
NEWSLETTE R
5
MYP
Year 1 / Grade 6:
Our Year 1 students are focusing on developing
their understanding of geometric relationships.
Using the first quadrant of the Cartesian Coordinate Grid, students are developing an understanding of transformations including translations
(slides), reflections (flip) and rotations (turns).
They are also investigating properties of polygons.
Representation of their knowledge
is varied, with many students recording voice videos of their
knowledge. The app Chatterbox,
as well as Adobe were options for
this task.
The Year 1 statement of inquiry is:
Understanding geometrical form, measurement
and mathematical representation inspires us to create interesting designs.
Year 2 & 3 / Grade 7 & 8:
Drawing upon their learning from previous grades,
Year 2 & 3 students are investigating transformations. They too use a Cartesian Coordinate
grid, but their learning exposes them to all four
quadrants. Their statement of inquiry is:
Describe patterns as relationships to represent and
model change to extend and enjoy creativity and
appreciation of the aesthetic.
After exploring geometric principles in the 2dimensional form students will be creating a flip
book. This task will require students to consolidate their learning around movement by showing
the transition of an object from
one position to another. Options
for task completion include a
paper book or a technical option
via the app Animation Desk.
PAGE
6
School Council
School Council
Mark Your Calendars:
Dress Code Sub-Committee Update:
Please join us for the Catholic School Council meetings. The
meetings are always lively, informative, and very productive! Meetings start at 6:30 p.m. and childcare is provided.
The St. James Dress Code Sub-Committee has been working
on a proposal for a St. James dress code for the upcoming
school year which will consist of spirit wear, and navy, light
blue and/or white clothing which can be purchased at any local
retailer (Old Navy, Children's Place, H&M etc). Shoes will not
be part of the dress code proposal.
Tuesday April 12
Tuesday May 10
Family Skate Event:
Please join us on Sunday March 20th, 2016 at the Carmen
Corbasson Arena (1399 Cawthra Road) for our St. James
Family Event, hosted by the school council. Bring the
whole family! If you don't skate, don't worry - there will be
lots of arts and crafts to enjoy as well.
1:00 - 4:30 pm
upper viewing area
1:30 - 2:30 pm
Crafts, Pizza, and Hot Chocolate in the
Skate Time
**To help us with the planning, please indicate the number of
people from your family that you’ll be bringing at this
link: http://goo.gl/forms/Mqd2zJn01Y
We look forward to seeing you on and off the ice!
Healthy Eating. Happy Kids:
Kicking off March 7, students will be part of a Healthy Eating Campaign, "Healthy Eating. Happy Kids", aimed at increasing the number of fruits and vegetables in their lunchboxes. Part of the program will feature free fruit and veggie
days, The Great Big Crunch event, and a fun cooking class
which will be held April 18th and April 19th. Parents will
also get a chance to learn some healthy eating tips and sample
delicious recipes during their own cooking event on April 21st
starting at 6:30p.m. (save the date!). Watch for emails in the
coming weeks with more information.
Refugee Resettlement Support: Update
The Syrian family that the St. Mary Star of the Sea Refugee
Resettlement Committee is supporting will be arriving
soon. They have passed their security and health screening
and are waiting for their tickets to Canada. They are still looking for the following items: 2 twin bunk bed mattresses, and
maternity clothes. (size TBD). If you have any of the following, please send an email to the school council. Many thanks
for your generous support.
The sub-committee is looking forward to meeting with you and
answering your questions at the Family Skate Event on March
20th, and at the upcoming Dress Code Presentation night which
will take place in April. (Date TBD). A formal vote will take
place in early May to determine if the dress code will be in
effect or not. If you have any questions, please feel free to
email the school council.
Recent Items Funded:
During the last Catholic School Council meeting, we reviewed
the funds collected from our one-time voluntary donations,
along with the survey where we collected information from
parents and have allocated the following funds so far:
Sacrament Celebrations (Communion & Confirmation) $400
Busing to Church Mass $275
Wooden Cross for front of School Lobby $400
Author in the School $435
Classroom Subsidy ($100 per classroom) $1000
Shoestring Opera $250
Planetarium $1000
Classroom Activity Bins for Recess $750
RAZ Kids $350
Family Skate Day Event $750
Graduation Celebration $200
St. James Awards Wall $1300
Graduation Tree Planting $500
In future Council meetings we will be discussing where the
remainder of the funds will be allocated. As always we welcome any comments or suggestions.
Stay In Touch:
For meeting minutes and other council information, visit us at
www.dpcdsb.org/JAMEE/Parents/
We welcome your questions, comments, and suggestions.
Please e-mail us at stjamesCGLCcouncil@gmail.com.
To stay in touch more informally, please join our Facebook
group. This group only speaks for the parents and not the
school. To subscribe, please search Facebook under: St. James
CGLC Parent Council and click on "join".
MARCH
2016
NEWSLETTE R
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Jayhawk News
7
Jayhawk News
National Sweater Day
Last month students and staff participated in National Sweater Day by wearing their WACKY WOOLIES. The Eco Team delivered announcements throughout the
week to help students learn more
about the importance of saving
energy. Thank you to everyone
for their support!
Earth Hour 2016
The students at St. James will participate in Earth
Hour during the afternoon on Friday, March 11th.
Chess Club
Water Bottle Free Awareness Campaign
Members of the Eco Team have been sharing information about this new initiative on the morning announcements. Their goal is to save as many water
bottles as possible this month using our new water
bottle fill station outside the office. The Eco Team
hopes to reach 2500 saved water bottles by World
Water Day on March 22nd. We encourage everyone
to continue to bring in their reusable water bottles
and help support this water bottle free campaign.
The students have been taking part in the lunch
time chess club. There has been some very tight
competition between the players. The winners of
the competition will go on to represent St. James
in the Mississauga East Chess Tournament being
held here at St. James on Friday April 1st. We
wish to congratulate everyone for their great playing.
World Water Day & The Great Gulp – Mar. 22nd
This year World Water Day will be celebrated on
March 22nd. World Water Day is an international
observance and an opportunity to learn more about
water related issues. The Eco Team will help inspire
others to take action to make a difference.
St. James will also participate in the Great Gulp on
March 22nd. The Great Gulp is an event in the Region of Peel that helps create awareness about the
importance of Peel drinking water in our lives. The
Eco Team will organize a synchronized drink of tap
water to celebrate this event.
MARCH
2016
NEWSLETTE R
FRIDAY MARCH 25TH IS GOOD FRIDAY
&
MONDAY MARCH 28TH IS EASTER
MONDAY
There will be NO SCHOOL for the students on
these days.
PAGE
Jayhawk News
Book Fair
8
Jayhawk News
2016 Annual Criminal Offence Declaration for
Volunteer
The book fair was a big success. Thank you Mr.
Discenza for organizing the book fair. We would
like to thank the community for your continued support.
Valentine Cake Raffle
We would like to thank the St. James Community
for all their beautiful valentine cake donations for
our raffle that was held on Friday February 12th.
Thank you Ms. DeMelo for organizing such a wonderful event.
It was a fun event with many
lucky winners taking home a
cake to share with their family.
Dear Parents/Guardians,
For those that have a Vulnerable Sector Police
Records Search on file at the school we are now in
need of a copy of the “2016 Annual Criminal Offence Declaration for Volunteer”. The 2016
AOD (Annual Offence Declaration) for Volunteers
is to be kept with the copy of the Vulnerable
Sector Police Records Search the school has on
file. This is a pr ocedure that is to be under taken every year that keeps your Vulnerable Sector
Police Records Search valid for another
year. Forms are available in the office to be filled
in and signed. Please inform any family members
that have a Vulnerable Sector Police Records
Search on file with us that they must also sign a
declaration. For any one that does not submit a
declaration your police record search will expire as
of June 2016 and you will no longer be able to accompany any fieldtrips. Thank you.
Going On Vacation
We ask that you please take a moment and send a
note to the office informing us of the dates your
son/daughter will be away. This will help to cut
down on the phone calls needed to
track down the missing student(s).
We thank you for your help in this
matter.
Immunization
Peel Health will be reviewing student immunization
records. Children whose records are not complete
will be receiving a notice from Peel Health requesting that immunizations be completed. Suspension
from school as required by Peel Health can result if
student immunization is not up to date. If you receive a notice from Peel Health please take the
time to reply to their request.
MARCH
2016
NEWSLETTE R
Additional Professional Activity Day: Monday,
April 11, 2016
Terms of the recent contract settlement between
the teacher federations and the Ministry of Education included the provision of an additional Professional Activity Day for the 2015-2016 school year
for both elementary and secondary schools.
In the Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School
Board, the designated additional Professional
Activity Day has been scheduled for Monday,
April 11, 2016.
Therefore, there will be no classes for either elementary or secondary students on Monday,
April 11, 2016.
PAGE
9
Take Note
Take Note
Parents In The Yard
Visitors
For your child’s safety we request that he/she not be on
school property until supervision begins at 8:45 a.m.
Please do not drop your child off at the school prior to
8:45 a.m.
We would also like to remind you that parents should
drop off/pick up their children outside the school gates.
Parents are not permitted to be in the school yard at any
time. Although you may be known to your own child
you are a stranger to the other students in the yard.
Anyone entering the school must come to the office
right away. The school is a very busy place and we
have many visitors/parents dropping in for a variety
of reasons. To ensure we maintain the integrity of
the classroom program by avoiding interruptions, and
for the safety of our students, all visitors must come
to the office. We ask that you also convey this
information to older brothers and sisters of our
students. This way we know that anyone in the halls
or in the school yard an authorized visitor. All
students leaving the school early will be released
through the front office as they must sign out. If
Kiss and Ride
The safety of our students and parents is of great
concern to us here at the school.
Please drive SLOWLY through the Kiss and Ride lane
as well as the drive through lane.
Please do not block the Kiss and Ride zone and areas
that would hinder the movement of cars.
Cars cannot be left in the lanes at any time.
Student Absences/Lates
Please use our 24 hour answering service to inform the
school of late or absent students. We must hear
from a PARENT or GUARDIAN if a
student will be absent, arriving late or
leaving early. Phone 905-891-7619
If a pattern of unexcused lateness or absents
becomes apparent, parents will be contacted by
the school.
your child arrives late we ask you to
NOT accompany them to class.
Snack and Treats for Students
We are asking that all parents please refrain from
bringing in eatable snacks and treats to the
classrooms. Several students in our school suffer
from a severe food allergy to all nuts, peanuts and all
nut products. There is also a Ministry PPM where
the purpose of this memorandum is to set out
nutrition standards for food and beverages in publicly
funded elementary schools in Ontario. For more
information about the new PPM please visit, http://
www.edu.gov.on.ca/extra/eng/ppm/150.html. If
you would still like to do something special for the
classroom, a small non-eatable gift for each student
or perhaps a classroom gift, i.e. board game for
inclement recess, may be a great alternative. Again,
we thank you for your co-operation.
UPCOMING DATES
Mar 1 -
Virtues Assembly 9:15 a.m.
Mar 2 -
Gr. 7 & 8 Immunization Clinic
Mar 4 -
Gr. 2 Meadowvale Theatre Trip
Mar 14 - 18 March Break, No School
Mar 25 -
Good Friday, No School
Mar 28 -
Easter Monday, No School
MARCH
2016
NEWSLETTE R
Be sure to visit our school website. All newsletters and
other pertinent information are always updated.
http://dpcdsb.org/jamee
St. James is now on Twitter! For the latest news and
information, follow us @StJamesDPCDSB