ST. TERESA OF AVILA
6675 MONTEVIDEO ROAD
MISSISSAUGA, ONTARIO
L5N 4E8
PHONE: (905)858-3462 FAX: (905) 858-1673
Website: http://www.dpcdsb.org/AVILA
May 2016 Newsletter
ACCEPTANCE
Principal
M. Sturge
Vice Principal
P. Basran
Secretary
J. Sequeira
Superintendent
Mississauga North
Family of Schools
T. Cruz
(905) 890-1221
Pastor
St. John of the Cross
Fr. J. Kalluvila
Trustee Ward 9
E. O’Toole
(905) 812-5163
ST. JOHN OF THE CROSS
PARISH
6890 Glen Erin Drive
Miss., ON L5N 2E1
Tel: (905) 821-1331
Fax: (905) 858-8486
Email:
stjohnofx@rogers.com
Website:
www.saintjohnofthecross.co
m
MASS TIMES
Weekends:
Sat.: 5:00 p.m.
Sun.: 8:00 a.m., 10:00 a.m.,
12:00 p.m., 4:00 p.m.
Weekdays: 9:00a.m.
Pastoral Team
St. John of the Cross
Fr. Joseph Kalluvila, O. Carm
Pastor
Fr. Felix Antony, O. Carm
Assoc. Pastor
Fr. Sebastian Joseph O. Carm
Assoc. Pastor
John Cannon, Deacon
Kate Watkiss, Pastoral
Associate
Dear God,
You have done such a marvelous job of creating us and the world
around us.
You have placed this creation, including all the people we meet, in
our care.
We come to you now asking for the grace and strength to be
accepting of others.
We admit that we can never fully know your plan for the people
around us.
Grant us the strength to admit that our role is to invite others to
participate in your saving plan and then to accept the choices that
they make in their own lives.
Amen
Principal’s Message
The theme of this year’s Catholic Education Week is “Catholic
Education: Opening Doors of Mercy”. Each day of the week has a subtheme: Mercy that Welcomes, Mercy that Loves, Mercy that Forgives,
Mercy that Lives the Gospel and Mercy that Rejoices. Catholic Education
Week begins on Sunday May 1st and continues until Friday May 6 th.
Catholic Education week is an opportunity to celebrate the mission of
our Catholic schools as they endeavor to integrate the gospel values into
every aspect of school life. During this week the Catholic community
celebrates the unique and distinctive contribution that Catholic
schools make to our students, our community and our Province.
During Catholic Education week let each and every one of us
take some time 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, especially our parents, to participate
in the celebrations and activities that will mark our celebration of
Catholic Education Week.
M.Sturge
Principal
FAITH COMMUNITY
Catholic Education Week
Catholic Education Week this year takes place from
May 2–May 6, 2016. During this week the Catholic
community celebrates the unique and distinctive
contribution that Catholic schools make to our
students, our community and our Province. This
year’s theme is “Opening the Doors of Mercy”. The
five sub-themes are:
 Mercy that Welcomes
 Mercy that Loves
 Mercy that Forgives
 Mercy that Lived the Gospel
 Mercy that Rejoices
More information will follow to indicate what
activities will be taking place during this week.
Rosary Apostolate
Members of our Rosary Apostolate will be presenting
a Crowning of Mary Celebration on Wednesday May
11th. Many of our students will be involved in acting
roles and as the participants in the living rosary. All
are welcome to this meaningful presentation.
Virtue Assembly
The April virtue assembly focused on this month’s
virtue of Acceptance. Thank you to all of the
parents/guardians and family members who were able
to attend and congratulations to our students who
received certificates for the virtue of love. Thank
you to our FDK teams and Mr. Rodrigues for
organizing the beautiful assembly and for the
dedicated participation of the students. Thank you to
Mr. Abraham for his audiovisual support. Our last
assembly will be on Thursday, June 29th at 1:00
p.m. Please join us if you are able.
Student Information
It is important that we have up to date records of your
address, phone numbers, and emergency contacts in
the event that the school must contact you regarding
your child. Please inform the office or your child’s
teacher if any information changes throughout the
year.
Student Absence and Arrival Time
We ask that parents continue to call to notify the
school if their child will be absent and/or late. Your
phone call to the school saves us time trying to
ensure your child is safe. Remember that you can call
the school twenty-four hours a day to report your
child’s absence at 905-858-3462- option 1. Upon
reaching the school answering service please leave
the following information: a) Date of absence
b)Student’s full name c) Grade level and teacher d)
Reason for absence e) Date of return.
Students who are late must report to the office
and sign in. School staff is on duty at 8:15 a.m.
in the morning until 8:30 a.m. There is no
supervision for students before 8:15 a.m. and
students should not be dropped off prior for
safety reasons. Students should arrive at 8:25
a.m. to line up and enter the school with the rest
of the class and avoid being late. Full Day
Kindergarten student will be taken inside at 8:15
a.m.The school bell rings at 8:30 a.m. If you arrive
after the bell rings, please bring your child to the
office and sign them in. Thank you for your
cooperation.
Parking Lot Safety/Kiss and Ride
As always, student safety is a priority at St. Teresa
of Avila School. Please continue to use the available
parking spaces or park in the designated areas on the
street when picking up or dropping off your child. As
indicated in a letter sent out earlier in September,
the Mississauga Parking Enforcement will issue
tickets for those who are illegally parked. The Kiss n
Ride should be constantly moving to prevent a back
log of traffic. Children should not be walking
across the parking lot unattended in front of cars
or buses and will be directed to use the walkway in
front of the school. Please do not leave your
vehicle unattended in the Kiss and Ride. Thank you
to everyone who are using the Kiss and Ride safely.
We are asking for everyone’s patience and
cooperation to ensure that all of our students arrive
and leave school safely.
Storage and Administration of Medication
Parents are responsible for ensuring that all
medication and forms are updated annually for any
student who requires medication to be administered
at school. If your child requires medication please
have the necessary forms completed and return
them, along with any medication, to the office as soon
as possible. Forms are available at the school office.
Medical Alert-Anaphylactic shock- Nut
Allergies
Please be aware that there are students in our school
with a severe life-threatening food allergy
(anaphylaxis) to NUTs and PEANUTs. This is a
medical condition that causes a severe reaction to
certain allergens and can result in death within
minutes. Although this may or may not affect your
child’s class directly, please send lunches and snacks
to school with your children that are free from
peanuts or nut products. We ask that you do not send
in food products for the whole class to celebrate
birthdays or social occasions. A donation of a book or
game to the classroom is a safe alternative to food
products and will be enjoyed so much longer by the
children. Please feel free to contact your child’s
teacher if you have any concerns or questions. We
thank you for your co-operation and attention to this
health watch.
CONFIDENTIALITY
Confidentiality of Student & Staff Personal
Information
We now live in an age where most parents/guardians
and many students have cell phones and other
Personal Electronic Equipment (PEDs) that have
photo, recording and videotaping features. The
temptation to take photos, video-tape friends,
teachers at school and other events is high,
especially when parent/family members are unable to
attend the event. The accessibility of these advanced
technologies make it, easy and immediate.
The concerns that schools have, is how can the
school, maintain and protect the confidentiality of
our students and staff when acts that seem so
innocent can potentially have serious/harmful
consequences. If photos, video clips are placed on
Facebook pages, YouTube and other websites, control
is lost on who can view it. In addition, written consent
from the participants must be secured to post such
information. Dufferin-Peel Catholic School Board
adheres to strict policies and guidelines on
maintaining the confidentiality of students and staff.
At the beginning of each year, parents/guardians sign
forms granting/disallowing photos of their child(ren)
to be taken for school use (i.e., in classrooms, hallway
bulletin boards and assembly video presentations).
Schools should not post personal information on their
websites. Personal information is defined in Section 2
of the MFIPPAct, as 'recorded information about an
identifiable individual'. Personal information should
only be posted where informed consents have been
obtained from all affected individuals or from
persons who are legally authorized to consent on
their behalf.
Informed consent requires that the person
consenting understands the exact nature of the
information for which consent is sought, the potential
consequences of signing the consent form, and be
given the right to revoke the consent at any time. As
such, we require parents/guardians/students to
respect and adhere to Dufferin Peel’s policy on
Confidentiality of Student & Staff Information.
Custody of Children
On rare occasions, we are faced with difficult
situations in which non-custodial parents arrive at
school asking to visit their child or to take their child
home after school. We are best able to serve and
protect students when we are made aware of legal
custody arrangements, visitation rights and other
special instructions. If legal custody matters affect
your family, please ensure that our office and
classroom teachers are aware of any custodial
arrangements that may affect your child during
school hours.
Pediculosis
It is important to bring your attention to a problem
that occurs in most schools. Head lice are parasites
which have been common among human beings for
centuries. They are not in any way connected to
uncleanliness. If a case is found in our school, we shall
inform parents of the students in that classroom. If
your children do become infested, we will be asking
you to keep them out of school until after they have
been treated with the correct shampoo and their hair
is entirely clear of both lice and nits (eggs). We ask
that you check your own children regularly. If we all
cooperate in these procedures, we may not entirely
escape outbreaks, but we will be able to bring them
under control quickly.
Front Door Monitor System
For visitors and parents to our school, in order to
assist you better:
 Please stand facing the camera and ring the
bell once.
 Please wait for a response….remember,
schools are busy places!

For the safety of our students, we ask that
you always state the reason for your visit.
We also ask for your patience and understanding if it
is during prayers and announcements and if our
secretary is away from her desk for photocopying
etc. For students arriving between 8:00 a.m. & 8:15
selected for the Ontario Library Association's "Best
Bets" and the Toronto Public Library's "First &
Best".
Intermediate Basketball
The Intermediate Boys and Girls basketball teams
wrapped up their season with respectable third place
finishes and some very exciting and close games
decided only in the last minute of play. The T-Birds
demonstrated great team spirit and hard work in all
their games to make their fans very proud. A special
thanks to the scorekeepers and timers who gave up
their time as it was greatly appreciated.
a.m. for the Breakfast Club, please ring the bell once
and wait for a response: Thank you for your
cooperation and support!
Co – Ed Soccer
SEVERE WEATHER & EMERGENCY EVACUATION
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 West Credit Secondary
School, located at 6235 Montevideo Road in
Mississauga. 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 West Secondary School
until we make direct contact with a parent/guardian.
MOVIE DAY
SCHOOL EVENTS & NEWS
EQAO
Our Grade 3 and 6 students will be participating in the
Provincial EQAO assessments during the weeks of May
25th - June 8th. It is very important that your child
be present at this time.
Ruth Ohi Presentation
Ruth Ohi (author/illustrator) will be coming Thursday,
May 19th (a.m.) She will be presenting to the FDKs
and the primary classes. Ruth is the illustrator of
over 50 books (18 of which she is also the
author). She lives with her family in Toronto, Canada
and is a graduate of the Ontario College of Art and
Design. Ruth's books have been shortlisted for
awards such as the Marilyn Baillie Picture Book,
Shining Willow and Blue Spruce. They have been
Now that the warmer weather has arrived, Co – Ed
soccer preparations have begun. Try outs for boys
and girls in grades 5, 6, 7, and 8 have started for the
tournament held on Thursday, May 26, 2016 at
Mississauga – Meadowvale Rotary Park. The team
looks forward to another great tournament and
success by placing in the top 4 or better this year.
St. Teresa of Avila is proud to present our
Fundraiser movie afternoon May 5th in order to
continue our efforts to build a prayer memorial space
in honour of our teachers whom have recently
passed. Order forms have already gone home.
Popcorn and pop will be available for a dollar each
during the evening movie. Thank you for your support
for this worthy cause.
Outdoor Space
St. Teresa of Avila will welcome staff members from
City of Mississauga on May 25, 2016. We would like
to thank the city of Mississauga for their continued
support in helping us to maintain our shared natural
learning environment and pathways.
Tree Planting
On Thursday, May 5th, Mrs. Walker’s grade six class
will be walking to Lake Aquitaine Park to plant trees.
The students have been given the opportunity to take
part in the Mississauga initiative, Help the City of
Mississauga plant one million trees by 2032.
Summer Literacy Camp
Summer Literacy Camp will be held at the following
schools: Father Daniel Zanon, St. Bernard Clairvaux,
St. Catherine of Sienna, St. Gregory, St. John of the
Cross, St. Louis and St. Pio of Pietreclina. It will run
from July 11- July 29, 2016 from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. This
three week program is offered to students from S.K.
to Grade 6 at a cost of 300.00. Transportation is not
provided. Please contact your child’s teacher for more
information. The deadline for applications is Friday,
May 27th.
Grade 7 & 8 Summer School
Grade 7 & 8 students are eligible to attend Remedial
Literacy and Mathematics classes from Monday, July
4 to Friday, July 22, 2016 from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30
p.m. upon recommendation from the Principal. There
is no cost for the program and bussing is provided to
St. Faustina. If you are interested and require
more information, please contact your child’s teacher
for an application. The deadline for applications is
May 27, 2016.
Moving
If you are planning on moving out of the St. Teresa of
Avila school area, or are changing an address within
our school boundaries, please let the office know as
soon as possible. It is important that we are informed
so that we can provide the necessary transfer forms.
You will require these forms as part of your
registration into any school in the province.
School Organization for September 2016
The staff at St. Teresa of Avila School will meet in
May to discuss the academic and social/emotional
needs of your child and determine the class
placement that will best meet their needs. We
appreciate your input concerning any special needs
your child(ren) may have. Please submit any feedback
that you may have in writing by Friday May 13,
2016 to the office. Please do not make specific
requests for a teacher as current and tentative
assignments may change between now and September.
Wherever possible we will meet requests but the
final decision rests with the Principal.
Warm Weather Guidelines
The effects of the sun can be quite harmful. Peel
Health recommends that parents be aware of sun
safety. We encourage our students to wear
sunscreen, protective hats and sunglasses while
outside for recess. We ask that parents send extra
drinks (water and juice) to help keep children
hydrated.
DRESS CODE
Our school is committed to standards of neatness,
cleanliness, modesty and good taste. Students are
and appropriate to the school environment. With
warmer weather on the way, we will remind students
of dress code expectations. Your assistance and
support is greatly appreciated.
Clothing guidelines
• Clothing should be neat, clean and without tears
and/or holes;
• Halter tops, tank tops, spaghetti strap tops, low cut
tops, mesh shirts, muscle shirts, cut-off shorts,
midriff tops which do not cover the abdomen and
bandanas are inappropriate attire school (walking
shorts are permitted);
• Patches, symbols or sayings on clothing shall not be
offensive to anyone who might read them, nor should
they promote negative messages
• Sunglasses and headwear such as hats/caps/visors
are inappropriate in the school building and classroom
Scholastic Book Fair
During Catholic Education Week, St. Teresa of Avila
will be hosting a Book Fair. We invite your entire
family to participate. Your support of this event will
help us obtain new resources for our library and
school. Students will have a chance to preview the
books available during the school day on Monday,
May 2 and Tuesday, May 3, 2016. They will be
invited to purchase books during the school day on
Wednesday, May 4 and Thursday, May 5, 2016.
In addition, the book fair will be open to parents
on Thursday, May 5, 2016, from 3:00 – 5:00 p.m.
We look forward to seeing you during our Scholastic
Book Fair and thank you in advance for supporting this
very important fundraiser.
ROLLERBLADES, SKATE BOARDS &
SCOOTERS
Students who wish to rollerblade, skate
board, cycle or ride a scooter to school
must remove their rollerblades, pick up
their skateboards or scooters as soon as
they enter or leave school property for
the safety of all. Students who do not
adhere to this will be asked to leave
Bikes can be locked up at the bike rack in
front of the school. The school does not
accept responsibility for their safe
keeping.
Textbook Policy
Textbooks are the property of the school and are
loaned out to students with the expectation that
they will be returned at the end of the school year in
good condition. The teachers keep a record of each
textbook that students are given. Please help to
keep our costs down by encouraging your child to take
proper care of them. There will be a replacement
cost to the student if the textbook is damaged, lost
or not returned at the end of the school year.
GRADE EIGHT GRADUATION
Grade 8 Graduation is scheduled for Tuesday, June
28th, 2016 in the school gymnasium. A Graduation
liturgy will take place at 10:00 a.m. followed by the
awards ceremony. A luncheon and afternoon dance
for the graduates will follow at the Capitol Banquet
Hall from approximately 11:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Please
look for more detailed information to be sent home.
Dates to Remember
May 1-6
Catholic Education Week
May 2
Book Fair preview
May 3
Book Fair preview
May 4
Book Fair purchasing
Pizza Day
May 5
Movie Day- JK-4- 1:00 p.m., Gr.
5-8 at 1:20 p.m.
Tree Planting- Gr. 6- Mrs.
Walker
May 6
Shining Stars event at St.
Aloysius Gonzaga
May 11
Rosary Apostolate presents the
Crowning of Mary at 9:00 a.m,.
May 13
Professional Activity Day-no
school
May 18
Pizza Day
May 19
Author Presentation- Ruth OhiFDK to grade 3
May 23
Victoria Day- no school
May 25
City of Mississauga- site visit
May 26
Co-ed soccer @ Meadowvale
Park
May 30
Trip to Peel Water Festival
Grade 4/5- Mrs. Black, 5
French Immersion- Mlle.
Langley and Grade 5 studentsMrs. Zuniga
St. Teresa of Avila is on Twitter! Follow us
@AvilaDPCDSB
Please visit our St. Teresa Avila
website at:
http://www.dpcdsb.org/AVILA