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
March 2016 Newsletter
Prayer of Kindness
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 keep a sense of
kindness. We hope that by recognizing and honoring this fruit of the Holy
Spirit, we can contribute to making our school a safer, more caring, more
inclusive community.
May kindness, the fruit of your Spirit, help us to feel the courage to act on
behalf of people around us who are in need.
We ask this in the name of Jesus, our brother, who lived to show us your way.
Amen
Virtue of Kindness
This month we celebrate the virtue of kindness. 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.
A kind




person…
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 ways to help those in need.
FAITH COMMUNITY
Our Lenten mass was a beautiful celebration. Thank
you to Father Joseph who was our celebrant and to our
students who demonstrated the virtue of respect and
to our parents and family members who were able to
join us. Our mass is a reminder of the importance of
partnership between the church, home and school as
we all move along our faith journey.
Lenten Retreat Day
This year we will be having a Lenten Retreat morning
on Holy Thursday. Students will participate in a variety
of activities to help nourish their faith and to prepare
for Easter. We have been creating footprints of
Lenten promises on our walls as we all take the journey
towards Easter together.
Stations of the Cross
On March 24th p.m., in the gymnasium, students will
present the Stations of the Holy Cross; Jesus’
ultimate sacrifice for us. Thank you to Mr. Abraham
and Ms. Tintinalli and our students for their
dedication and efforts while preparing for this
presentation.
Virtue Assembly
The February virtue assembly focused on this
month’s virtue of kindness. 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 respect.
Thank you to Mrs. Beckett and Mlle. Langley 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, March 31st at 11:00 a.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
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.
Flu Season
Winter Weather
During the winter season, many parents are
concerned about school policy on outdoor recess. It is
generally accepted that when the wind chill factor
drops below -25°C, students should not go outside
for recess. Dufferin-Peel C.D.S.B. Policy uses a wind
chill factor of -20° C as a determining factor for
modified recess. We ask that students come dressed
appropriately with hats, gloves, mittens etc. Where
possible, please put identification on your child’s
belongings. Please note that all students should have
indoor shoes during the winter months so that the
classrooms are kept as clean and dry as possible.
During the winter months, inclement weather may
cause disruption of bus transportation and regular
school operations. A decision to cancel transportation
and/or close schools is usually made by 7:00 a.m. and
will be announced on the Board website and the
following radio stations:
CKFM – 99.9 FM
CHIN – 100.7 FM, 1540 AM
CHUM – 1050 AM
CJCL – 590 AM
CFTR - 680 AM
CHFI – 98.1 FM
JACKFM – 92.5 FM
CBC – 740 AM
CIAO – 530 AM
CFNY – 102.1 FM
CFRB – 1010 AM
DC103FM
CHAY – 93 FM
Q107 – 107.1 FM
CJMR – 1250 AM
TALK640 – 640 AM
CHEZ ZP7.3
CJBC (Fr.) 86
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
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!
Mr. Abraham has organized a chess club where
friendly competition has been evident and
participation in our Family Chess Tournament will be
taking place on March 4th. Results of the tournament
will be in next month’s newsletter.
Live Free Campaign
Live Free Campaign is a program encouraging our
community to encourage eating a healthy breakfast
to support our Breakfast Program. We are asking for
a $ 2.00 donation on Wednesday, March 9 from each
student with all proceeds going to our breakfast club.
Our Breakfast Club at St. Teresa of Avila runs five
days a week with the support of many volunteers and
Mr. Abraham as Breakfast Coordinator. All students
are welcome to attend from 8:00 a.m.- 8:30 a.m.
School Council
We would like to thank our School Council for
supporting a number of initiatives within the school in
support of all of the students. The following outlines
activities/ programs that will be supported: Purchase
of a Smartboard and funding a variety of Artists in
the School presentations for all of our students.
Basketball
The Junior Girls and Boys basketball teams have
wrapped up their seasons. The teams displayed hard
work, dedication, and fantastic sportsmanship
throughout the season. Their skills and performance
improved game by game and St. Teresa of Avila will
surely have a promising squad for next year.
Congratulations T-Birds on a fantastic season! Your
coaches, Mr. Clarizia and Mr. Rodrigues are proud!
The Big Crunch
Dates to Remember
March 2
Pizza Lunch
Rosary Apostolate to visit
Grade 8 Information night @
6:30
March 3
Author-Loretta Penny
March 4
FDK trip to Meadowvale
Theater
Family Chess Tournament at
Our Lady of Mount Carmel
School
March 9
Live Free Campaign- $2.00
donation
March 10
The Big Crunch
March 14-18
March Break
March 21
The Big Gulp
March 23
PIZZA LUNCH
March 24
Holy Thursday
Lenten Retreat in the morning
Stations of the Cross @ 1:00
p.m.
March 25
Good Friday- no school
March 28
Easter Monday- no school
As part of our ongoing partnership with Peel Public
Health and the support of our Peel Public Health
nurse, we will be having a synchronized Big Crunch on
Friday, March 10th at 2:30 p.m. The entire school
will participate again in taking a big bite out of
Ontario grown apples to support healthy eating. The
apples will be supplied to each student in our school.
The Great Big Crunch invites students to learn about
healthy eating and local and global food systems while
following the journey from the apple seed, to the
harvest, to the market, to the core.
The Big Gulp
On Monday, March 21st, students will be part of “The
Big Gulp”. During this time our students will have the
opportunity to get a gulp of water at the water
fountain. It is an annual event held every March to
help create awareness about the importance of Peel
drinking water in our lives. “Tasting the tap” is
extremely important for not only is it easily
St. Teresa of Avila is on Twitter! Follow us
@AvilaDPCDSB
accessible to everyone in the Region of Peel, but tap
water is by far the least expensive way to buy your
water.
Please visit our St. Teresa Avila
website at:
http://www.dpcdsb.org/AVILA