NOVEMBER
Principal’s Message
2014
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,
Peter Ferreira,
Anna Abbruscato,
Anna Da Silva,
Thomas Thomas,
Linda Zanella,
Frank Di Cosola,
Scott McLauchlan
Superintendent
C. Blanchard
Principal
Brian Diogo
The month of November calls us to reflect and
“remember”.
In Flanders Fields
by John McCrae, May 1915
In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.
We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.
Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies
grow
In Flanders fields.
Amen
Secretary
A. Litster
At St. James Catholic Global Learning Centre, we continue to “Serve in the love of Christ” on a daily basis.
Our fundraising events will allow the school to purchase
materials and provide presentations for the students that
would otherwise not be able to be purchased. These
funds, generated through our Catholic School Council’s
efforts, tremendously aid the school and always go back
to the students, enriching their educational experience. Thank you all for all your continued efforts.
May God Bless You,
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School Council
School Council
3
Co-Chairs
Inquiry Corner
4/5/6
Jayhawk News
7&8
Take Note
9
Upcoming Dates
9
J. McCarthy
A special thank you to the school community for your
continuous acts of kindness in assisting with our many
“outreach and fundraising” initiatives. At times it can be
overwhelming as so much happens during the first few
months of school. Please know that through all our
events, we teach the children to care for others and to
support those that are in true need of our ‘wealth’ not
only the materialistic items, but our spiritual wealth that
lies deep within all of us!
INSIDE THIS ISSUE:
Living Our Faith & Eco News
M. Giovanniello
We are blessed to live in a country where freedom is a
way of life. Many Canadians have made sacrifices so that
we can enjoy this freedom. Soldiers continue to work
today to help keep the peace in countries around the
world, and to fight for those people who do not enjoy the
privileges that we do as Canadians.
B. Diogo
Principal
REMEMBRANCE DAY CEREMONY
Please join us for our
Remembrance Day Ceremony
to be held in the gym on
November 11th at 10:30 a.m.
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Living Our Faith
Virtue Corner
NOVEMBER ~ CONSCIENCE
This month we will celebrate the virtue of CONSCIENCE.
A person with conscience…
Chooses to do the ‘right thing’ and feels
good about it
 Can see how his/her wrong-doing affects others and feels badly
 Says ‘sorry’ and tries to make up for
mistakes

ECO NEWS
St. James Eco Team
Last spring at the school blessing the St. James staff
provided each family with a special gift to commemorate our school’s rededication ceremony.
We chose a tree seedling to represent the symbol of
new life and growth. Planting is an act of putting
down roots and contributing to the future. We encouraged our families to plant the seedling at home
and to watch it grow over time.
Thank you to Mrs. Andersen for sharing her photos
of their tree planting success.
God has given us the ability to know the right and
decent way to act and then to act that way. We
trust that the common Spirit we share inspires us
and guides us to make good decisions if we allow
our conscience to be well-formed.
A person of conscience allows prayer and scripture
to influence him/her.
P.A. Day Reminder
Friday, November 14th, 2014 is a Pr ofessional
Activity Day for all students. Please note there will
be NO SCHOOL for the students on Friday,
November 14th, 2014.
NOVEMBER
2014 NEWSLE TTER
Going Green Together!
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School Council
NEXT MEETING:
Tuesday, November 25th, 2014 6:30 p.m.
MARK YOUR CALENDARS:
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. Feel fr ee to br ing along your own mug or r eusable water bottle to the meetings and help us reduce our environmental footprint!
Wed Jan 21
Tue Feb 24
Wed April 8
Tues May 19
June TBD
JOIN IN:
Stay in touch with Council news… join our e-mail list! Send
an e-mail to stjamesCGLCcouncil@gmail.com with
‘subscribe’ in the subject heading. Thank you to those who
have already signed up..
For meeting minutes and other council information, visit us at
www.dpcdsb.org/JAMEE/Parents/
FUNDRAISING SPOOK-A-THON:
The Hallowe’en Spook-a-thon kicked off our two-pronged
major fundraising effort for this year, hoping to raise $20 000
for programs and activities this year. Parents have the option
of sending in a one-time voluntary contribution or approaching family and friends for pledges. Please have all contributions in by November 7, 2014.
PLANT-A-GRANT:
At the end of last year, many families picked a ‘Plant-AGrant’ envelope to help the school research different grant
opportunities and come up with ideas for various grants. At
the November 25th Council meeting, we will be talking about
ideas for different grants. If you are not able to attend the
council meeting to talk about your grant ideas, please submit
your ideas to the council e-mail address: stjamesCGLCcouncil@gmail.com . More information on the Plant-A-Grant
follow-up session will be e-mailed shortly.
SCHOOL SECURITY:
With the impending opening of the Medical Clinic, Council
has contacted the Peel Police and asked that a safety audit be
performed of our outdoor area. The audit was performed on
October 28th with Mr. Diogo and a council member. Results
will be shared at our next council meeting.
NOVEMBER
2014 NEWSLE TTER
School Council
THE GREAT BIG CRUNCH:
At 2:15 on October 23rd, St. James students and staff participated in The Great Big Crunch by all crunching down on an apple
at the same time. This program is run by the Ontario Student
Nutrition Program and helps promote healthy eating in our
schools and communities. The extra apples were donated to
The Compass to help those in need in our community. More
information about this great organization can be found on their
website www.thecompass.ca.
SURVEY RESULTS:
A survey was sent out to obtain input and feedback from the
school community regarding the goals and program ideas for
this year. We had an overwhelming 85
people respond and will be using this feedback to help guide programs and activities
throughout the year. Full survey results
can be found on the council section of the
school website (www.dpcdsb.org/
JAMEE/Parents/)
LUNCH PROGRAM:
The Lunch Lady will be visiting our school every Monday and
Thursday to provide lots of healthy options for lunches. Ordering can be done on-line once you register your child on their
website (www.thelunchlady.ca). If you have any questions
about the program, you can contact The Lunch Lady at 905569-9036 or malou@thelunchlady.ca.
COMMUNITY THANK YOU’s:
A big thanks to our community partners who have helped us by
providing discounts on their goods and services for our school
council activities.
 Lanzarotta's Wholesale Fruit and Vegetables
 Great Canadian Pizza
 Metro
2014-2015 PROGRAMS/ITEMS FUNDED BY YOUR
CONTRIBUTIONS TO CSC
-Hallowe’en
Spook-A-Thon Glo Bracelets and Pizza Lunch for
all students
-Caribou Math Contest program for grades 3-7
-RAZ kids on-line reading program for K-3
-The Great Big Crunch Apple Event
-Bussing to church 2 school masses
-Welcome Back BBQ
-Academic Team Golf Shirts
-Council meeting supplies (reusable cups, refreshments)
-Childcare costs for council meetings
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Inquiry Corner
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Inquiry Corner
As a Catholic school we encourage our students to
live out the Gospel values by demonstrating a respect
and concern for the well-being of all. The Virtues
program supports the development of responsible,
equitable and faithful individuals. This month we are
celebrating the virtue of Conscience. Here at St. James, we
encourage our students to recognize that God helps us to
choose to be good people.
Concepts- important ideas that have universal significance
regardless of time or place within and across disciplines.
Concepts are presented in the forms of questions that drive
the inquiry. The 8 key concepts are: Form, Function, Perspective, Causation, Change, Connection, Reflection and
Responsibility.
Therefore I do my best always to have a clear conscience to-
Attitudes- dispositions, values, beliefs and feelings towards
learning. The attitudes are:
ward God and all people. (Acts 24:16)
The Learner Attribute for this month is Thinker. Students will
be encouraged to strive to use their critical and creative thinking skills to analyze and take responsible action on complex
problems. Thinkers exercise initiative in making reasoned, ethical decisions.
The Attitude for this month is Confidence. Students will be
encouraged to strive to be confident in their ability as learners,
having the courage to take risks, apply what they have learned
and make appropriate decisions.
PYP Essential Elements
The PYP provides a curriculum framework of 5 essential elements:
Knowledge- content in math, language, social studies, science
and the arts. This knowledge is evident in our school’s Programme of Inquiry which includes each of our units of inquiry
under each of the transdisciplinary themes.
NOVEMBER
2014 NEWSLE TTER
Skills- specific capabilities in thinking, social interactions,
communication, self-management, and research.
Action- Making changes to and in the world.
Grade 4 Unit of Inquiry – Inspiring Student
Action
Last month Mrs. Oteiza’s grade 4 class used the transdisciplinary theme of W ho W e Are to continue their inquiry into
how understanding our strengths and weaknesses encourage
personal growth. The lines of inquiry that were used to focus
the students’ learning and deepen their understanding of this
central idea included: setting goals will help build a strong
successful foundation to our learning, acknowledging our
weaknesses will help us improve our learning, and accepting
one another for our differences promotes acceptance and
diversity.
The students engaged in a variety of activities encouraging
them to demonstrate their understanding of their own
strengths and weaknesses and how to set purposeful goals.
They participated in a variety of collaborative activities to
demonstrate their prior knowledge of this topic. The teacher
used the book, W hat I Like about Me, to begin the students’
wonderings about who they are as individuals and to help
them identify some of their personal strengths and weaknesses. The teacher also facilitated discussions around the meaning of setting goals and students began to discuss various
goals they wanted to set out and accomplish. The students
asked a number of questions along the way to guide their
understanding of the central idea and discovered new concepts and skills throughout the process. They learned more
about goal setting by co-creating success criteria with the
teacher about how to achieve goals and subsequently created
their own class goal for the unit. They inquired into the variety of goals they could achieve - personal, academic, behavioural, and social - at home, at school and in the community.
The students furthered their understanding of the unit’s central ideas and theme by reflecting on the learner attributes
and attitudes as goal setters.
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Inquiry Corner
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Inquiry Corner
Grade 5 Unit of Inquiry
During a whole group discussion one day about personal goals,
students began to reflect upon how their goals can have an effect on other people. True inquiry began to unfold as students
inquired about people who are known for goal setting and
achieving great things. Through collaborative inquiry the students discovered that people can inspire change in others with
their goals and aspirations. The class focused on Terry Fox and
began to research to find out more about his goals. This unit of
inquiry incorporated a still art activity of the students’ running
shoes, a descriptive writing activity about Terry Fox and the
attitude and attribute reflected in his life and journey as well as
a shared reading from the Canadian Reader series about Terry
Fox.
Action is one of the essential elements in the Primary Years
Programme. Mrs. Oteiza’s class concluded this unit of inquiry
by participating in our school’s annual Terry Fox walk. Their
participation in this fundraiser consolidated the knowledge they
had gained throughout the unit. The students also completed a
personal reflection piece on goal setting and an action plan to
meet their personal goals.
NOVEMBER
2014 NEWSLE TTER
Mr. Carreiro’s Grade 5 class used the transdisciplinary theme
of How W e Organize Ourselves to begin their inquiry into
the interconnectedness of human made systems and communities; the structure and function of organizations; societal
decision making; economic activities and their impact on
humankind and the environment. The class begin this unit by
focusing on the central idea that there are many forms of
government that attempt to structure a society. The students
reflected upon the lines of inquiry, which asked them to
identify the purpose and creation of governments, the characteristics of different systems of government, the connections
between Canada’s three levels of government as well as the
electoral process and posted their wonderings as the unit
unfolded.
In order to support the students’ learning and understanding
of the central idea and lines of inquiry, the class ventured out
on a trip downtown to visit Toronto City Hall and Queen’s
Park.
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Inquiry Corner
10 Reasons why the IB Middle Years Programme
encourages your child to become a creative, critical
and reflective learner.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Become a life-long learner
Learn by doing and experiencing
The MYP encourages critical thinking
Explore global challenges
Learn for understanding
Train yourself to:
meet deadlines
concentrate
bounce back
persist
think positively
7. Subjects are not taught in isolation
8. It empowers you to develop your talents
9. It prepares you for future education
10. It encourages international-mindedness
NOVEMBER
2014 NEWSLE TTER
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Inquiry Corner
Students are exploring personal histories; homes
and journeys; turning points in humankind; discoveries; explorations and migrations of humankind;
the relationships between, and the interconnectedness of, individuals and civilizations, from personal, local and global perspectives.
The IB programme and our Catholic virtues are
well connected in both the value of social action
and community involvement, the encouragement
of developing a balanced life-long learner, and the
connectedness of being a part of a united global
community.
The importance of faith and understanding our
Catholic story is what helps our students respect
and understand the uniqueness of our global community.
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Jayhawk News
Volunteers
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Jayhawk News
French Immersion Info Meeting
Volunteers play an important role in our school.
Many activities would not be possible without their
help. Often there are class trips that require parent
volunteers. We would encourage your involvement
and welcome your support. All volunteers must submit a Criminal Reference Check. Forms are available in the office.
Medication
On occasion, the school is asked to store and/or give
medication to students.
1. A completed form must accompany each request
for medication to be stored and given out by the
school personnel. It is the prerogative of the
Principal to decide whether or not medication
will be stored or given out and may establish
such conditions as are deemed necessary regarding any specific request.
Year 2 Kindergarten parent(s)/guardian(s), who
wish to enroll their child in a Grade 1 French Immersion class for September, 2015 are invited to
attend an information meeting at:
Our Lady of Providence
Tuesday, November 25, 2014 7:00 p.m.
(for Our Lady of Providence, St Angela Merici,
St Joachim locations)
St Gertrude
Wednesday, November 26, 2014
7:00 p.m.
(for St Gertrude, St Pio of Pietrelcina locations)
St Margaret of Scotland
Thursday, November 27, 2014
7:00 p.m.
(for Divine Mercy, St Elizabeth Seton, St Margaret
of Scotland locations)
Kindergarten Registration for 2015-16
2. School personnel will not assume responsibility
for the administration of any medication.
Registration for Kindergarten for the 2015-16 school
year, will take place on the following days:
3. It is the responsibility of the parent/guardian to
monitor the quantity of medication stored by the
school
Monday, January 26, 2015
Wednesday, January 28, 2015
Thursday, January 29, 2015
Friday, January 30, 2015
*Snow Date:
Tuesday, January 27, 2015
4. Storage of Medication Forms can be picked up
in the office.
7 p.m. - 9 p.m.*
9 a.m. - 3 p.m.
9 a.m. - 3 p.m.
9 a.m. - 3 p.m.
7 p.m. - 9 p.m.
The following documents will be needed when registering:
School Website


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



NOVEMBER
2014 NEWSLE TTER
proof of age (Birth Certificate)
original Roman Catholic baptismal certificate (for child
and/or parent/guardian) or baptismal certificate from an
Eastern Church in full communion with the Holy See of
Rome. If the child has not been baptized, and the parent/
guardian is a baptized Roman Catholic or is baptized
from an Eastern Church in full communion with the Holy See of Rome, the parent/guardian must bring their
own baptismal certificate.
updated immunization records
proof of Canadian citizenship (Birth Certificate or Passport) or Landed Immigrant status
proof of address (any utility bill, bank statement)
PAGE
Jayhawk News
Jayhawk News
Changing Weather
Volleyball
Students are asked to ensure that they have a pair of
indoor shoes at school. We ask that children change
their footwear when they come inside in an effort to
keep our classroom floors clean.
Children are expected to participate in recess activities and are reminded to dress for the weather. Children may also wish to have a change of clothing at
school in the event that they get wet while playing
outdoors.
The Intermediate Volleyball
team has now been selected.
We look forward to an exciting
season. The following is a list
of the games.
Terry Fox Walk-A-Thon
Students and staff participated in the annual Terry
Fox Walk-a-Thon on October 3rd, 2014. A special
thank you to the community for your monetary donations. The community raised $3,031.10. Thank
you also to our parent volunteers that assisted by
walking the route with our students.
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November 3rd at Queen of Heaven (girls first)
November 4th at home (girls first) vs. St. Alfred
November 10th at St. Edmund (boys first)
November 11th at home (girls first) vs. St. Thomas
Moore
November 18th at St. Timothy’s (boys first)
November 19th at home (boys first) vs. St. Dominic
(November 26th Family Tournament if qualify)
No students will be allowed to stay and watch the
home games without a note from their parents.
Please be aware there is no supervision by a staff
member at the games.
Winterland of Gingerbread
We look forward to seeing all the
families that are taking part in our
gingerbread decorating event on
Thursday December 4th, 2014 at
1:30 p.m.. It will be an enjoyable
family event shared by all.
Thanksgiving Food Drive
A Thanksgiving Food Drive was held here at St.
James School. We would like to thank all the families that donated to support needy families within the
community this Thanksgiving.
NOVEMBER
2014 NEWSLE TTER
Cross Country
We would like to congratulate all our Cross Country team members for a fabulous showing at the
Family Meet on October 22nd. Congratulations
also goes out to Lauren J., Kendra J., Anna E., Jacob K., Nazariy K., Sean R., and Steven F. for
placing and going on to compete
at the Board Meet. Thank you to
all the coaches for all the work
they did to help the team succeed.
Parent Drivers
We would like to take this time to thank all our
parent volunteer drivers. Without your help we
would not be able to participate in many events. It
is through your efforts that we continue to be able
to offer extracurricular events to the students.
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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 your
child arrives late we ask you to NOT accompany
them to class.
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.
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.
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.
UPCOMING DATES
Nov
5 - Gr. 2 Trip to The Museum
Nov
7 - Shoestring Opera school wide performance
Nov
11 - Reports Go Home
Nov
11 - Remembrance Day Ceremony 10:30 a.m.
Nov 13 - Interview Night
NOVEMBER
2014 NEWSLE TTER
Nov
14 - P. A. Day, No School
Nov
30 - Advent Begins