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
April 2016 Newsletter
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,
Love
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 love.
We want to love like Jesus loved -- without holding back; without
wondering what’s in it for me; so that everyone around us will
know what your love looks like.
May we find the courage to forget ourselves on purpose for the good
of your people.
We ask this in name of Jesus, our brother, who lived to show us
your way. Amen.
Principal’s Message
As Catholics, we recognize Easter as the most sacred and holy time in our Liturgical
year. During the forty days of Lent, we reflected on our own relationship with God.
We walked with Jesus during his forty days in the desert and we pledged to do acts
of penance, prayer and sacrifice. As a faith community we embraced the spirit of
Lent. Our student Lenten promises demonstrated how we could all be more like
Jesus. May the peace and joy of the risen Christ be in your homes and hearts.
M. Sturge
Principal
Student Information
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 during Catholic
Education Week. 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 on Wednesday May 11th.
Sharelife
We will have spirit days for Sharelife. Money raised
will be for initiatives that supports a variety of
Catholic charities/initiative within our community. We
suggest a possible donation of $3.00 to participate in
all of the spirit days and this includes a frozen yogurt
treat. See the last page for specific activities.
Virtue Assembly
The March virtue assembly focused on this month’s
virtue of love. 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 kindness.
Thank you to Mrs. Ventura- Roma and Mrs. Black for
organizing the beautiful assembly and for the
dedicated participation of the students. Thank you to
Mr. Abraham for his audiovisual support. Our next
assembly will be on Friday, April 29th at 12:45
p.m. Please join us if you are able.
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
web-sites. Personal information is defined in Section
2 of the MFIPPAct, as 'recorded information about
an identifiable individual'. Personal information should
only be posted where in-formed 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 con-sent 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.
will be announced on the Board website and the
following radio stations:
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
a.m. for the Breakfast Club, please ring the bell once
and wait for a response: Thank you for your
cooperation and support!
Flu Season
To reduce or prevent the spread of the flu, it is
important to use certain measures such as washing
hands, cough and sneeze etiquette, eating
nutritiously, getting plenty of sleep and staying home
when ill. Custodial staff help prevent the spread of
disease through protocols such as: cleaning hard
surfaces, washrooms being cleaned and disinfected,
paper is stocked, and soap dispensers are
checked/and filled. Hand sanitizers are also placed in
the office, library and various classrooms throughout
the school.
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.
SCHOOL EVENTS & NEWS
Chess Club
St. Teresa of Avila competed in the annual MN Family
Chess Tournament on March 4, at Our Lady of Mount
Secondary School. All three teams represented our
school with strong play, team spirit, and respect for
all opponents. While our Junior team fell shy of the
medal standings, both our Primary and Intermediate
teams finished in 4th place earning them medals. A
special thank you to all the students who helped at
the tournament, as well as to teachers, parents, and
administration for supporting our school chess
program. Thank you to Mr. Abraham for all of his
efforts for this event.
Congratulations:
Primary Team – Angelina, Ola, Kian, Dylan, Alex
Junior Team – Miles, Evan, Braden, Marcel, Taylor
Intermediate Team – Jonathan D., Alex, Jonathan S.,
Ethan, Edjuardo
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.
Eric Walters Presentation
Eric Walters is an award-winning author and recipient
of the Order of Canada. Eric has presented to more
than 1,500,000 students across North America and
internationally in Japan and Germany. His
presentations blend drama, storytelling, audience
participation and interaction. He will be at our school
to present to the grade 4 to 8 students on Friday
April 8th.
Intermediate Basketball
The Intermediate Boys and Girls tryouts have been
successfully completed and the teams are busy
preparing for their home opener game against St.
Therese of the Child Jesus on March 31, 2016. All
games are doubleheaders and St. Richard and St.
Albert of Jerusalem are their next opponents. The
basketball T-birds look forward to a fun and exciting
season, Go T-Birds – Go!
Eco-School news
April is a very special month for St. Teresa of Avila
and our Eco Team, as April recognizes Earth Month.
This month St. Teresa of Avila’s Eco Team will be
focusing on the environment by continuing our litter
less lunch campaign, practicing proper recycling and
following our School Eco Pledge. Please help your child
pack waste-free lunches every day, you may consider
using reusable containers in your child’s lunch as
opposed to disposable ones as this will help with our
recycling practices and waste reduction in our school.
We encourage everyone to wear blue and green on
April 22nd to celebrate Earth day. With your
assistance we can make a great contribution to
reducing waste, every day.
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 schools 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.
International Day of Pink.
On April 13, we are asking everyone to wear pink. It
is a day where communities across the country, and
across the world, unite in celebrating diversity and
raising awareness to stop all forms of bullying.
Dates to Remember
April 4
Light it up Blue- Autism
awareness day
April 5
Grade 8 Graduation photos
April 6
Pizza Day
April 8
Eric Walters- Author- am- 4/5-8
April 11
Professional Activity Day-no
school
April 13
Rosary Apostolate to visit
PINK Day
April 15
Gr. 6 Trip to Warplane Museum
April 18-22
Sharelife Spirit Week
April 18
Comfy Clothes Day
April 19
Cawthra Performing ArtsDance
Gum Chewing Day
April 20
Pizza Day
Sports Team Day
Silver Creek Trip- Gr. 4/5
April 21
Silver Creek Trip- Gr.4/5
Beach/Hawaiian Day
April 22
Earth Day- Wear green & blue
Clean-up day
Be Thankful Day
April 28
Immunization Day- Dose #3Grade 7 & 8
April 29
Virtue Assembly at 12:45
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 27th.
Autism Awareness Day
Saturday, April 2 is World Autism Awareness Day.
Iconic landmarks around the world such as the CN
Tower will glow with blue light. This is to create
awareness and to show support for Autism. On
Monday, April 4th St. Teresa of Avila students are
encouraged to join the staff and the rest of the world
and wear blue clothes to “Light up our school Blue.”
St. Teresa of Avila is on Twitter! Follow us
@AvilaDPCDSB