May 2016
A PRAYER FOR MARY
Loving God,
In Mary you have given your church a sign
Of the glory to come.
May those who honour this image of Mary
Look to her as a model of holiness
For all your people.
We ask this through Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Sacraments
This month is a busy time for many of our students as they prepare to receive their sacraments.
Detailed information about preparation for reception of the sacraments may be obtained through
St. John Fisher Parish.
First Holy Communion (Grade 2): Sunday May 15, 2016 @ 2:00 p.m.
Confirmation Retreats : Grade 7-Tuesday May 10th & Grade 8-Wednesday May 11th
Confirmation (Grade 7 & 8): Thursday May 12, 2016 @ 7:00 p.m.
Virtue of the Month– Acceptance
The virtue of acceptance describes our ability to look at the attitudes and actions of those around us and then just
stop and consider without judging them. The virtue of acceptance means that we look beyond what we see- a
person’s skin colour, ethnic background, religion, age, gender, sexual orientation, and see a person created and
loved by God.
EQAO
In May, the Ontario Education Quality and Accountability Office (EQAO) will conduct its annual province-wide testing
of knowledge and skills in reading, writing and mathematics of grade 3 and 6 students throughout the publicly funded school systems. The tests for Grade 3 students and for Grade 6 students will take place between May 25 th and
June 8th. Parents and guardians are encouraged to avoid scheduling any doctor’s appointments or any other appointments that would take your child out of school during the testing dates. Details regarding
more specific dates will be forthcoming from classroom teachers.
EQAO Tutoring
EQAO tutoring continues until May 24th. Eligible students in Grades 3 and 6 are currently participating in the after-school program which helps prepare them for the upcoming assessment. This
valuable program is run by certified teachers and is provided by the Board at no cost to our students.
Pizza Lunch Days
School Council Pizza Lunch Day is on: Tuesday May 31, 2016
St. John Fisher Parish Events
The next St John Fisher CWL General Meeting is being held in the parish hall on Tuesday, May 3rd, 2016 following
the 7 p.m. Mass. All are welcome.
The St John Fisher CWL Walk-a-thon is being held on Saturday, May 28th, 2016 at Chinguacousy
Park, East parking lot off Bramalea Road at 9:00 a.m.. For more detailed information, please pick
up a pledge form. Pledge forms will be available for pick up following ALL Masses.
Catholic Education Week
Pope Francis has declared 2016 a “Holy Year of Mercy” as a way for the Catholic church to “make
more evident, its mission to be a witness of mercy”. The Holy Year begun on December 8th, the
day Pope Francis opened the Vatican’s Holy Door. The Holy Door is opened to evoke the concept
of forgiveness which is the main focus of a Holy Year. Catholic Education Week 2016 (May 1st to May 6th) combines
both the theme of mercy and the act of opening doors of reconciliation, mercy and forgiveness to all around us.
St. John Fisher Catholic Elementary School continues to make our faith ever-present in all we do. We are excited to
honour Catholic Education Week by celebrating as a community.
April 20th- May 6th: Food/Clothing Drive for Dr. Simone. Dr. Simone’s Canadian Food for Children helps feed the
poorest of the poor in developing countries around the world. We are advised that stocks in the warehouse are
desperately low and in urgent need of replenishment. We thank you for your support of this very worthy cause.
Thursday April 28th, Friday April 29th, Monday May 2nd, Tuesday May 3rd :X Movement: We are excited to announce that our students from Kindergarten to Grade 8 will be experiencing the X Movement program, Aussie X.
Aussie X teaches sports such as Aussie Rules Football, Cricket and Netball, as well as Australian spirit and sportsmanship. All X Movement programs integrate physical activity and movement which allows us to feel good irrespective of ability. The program encourages ‘Mateship’ which teaches us how to be loyal, equitable and a good
friend. And finally the program promotes ‘Mindfulness’ by becoming aware of ourselves, others and the world
around us.
Thursday May 5th: X Movement Community Night: Your children will have rocked with X Movement, now it's your
turn! Please join us and the X Movement Team for a fun-filled, energizing evening beginning at 5:30 p.m. You will
have the opportunity to experience the Australian sports program that teaches the powerful life lessons of trying
something new and celebrating even the smallest of wins. Bring the whole family out and remember to come
dressed in comfortable clothes and footwear…ready to join in!
Friday May 6th: School Wide Retreat & Living Rosary: Our students will be participating in a day long retreat focusing on the 5 themes of Mercy. As it is tradition to pray the rosary during the month of May, we cordially invite the
community into the school at 1:00 p.m. to pray the Living Rosary with our students and staff.
Welcome to Kindergarten
On Monday May 9, 2016 at 6:30 p.m., our Full Day Kindergarten staff will be gathering for an
evening with our new kindergarten students who will be joining the St. John Fisher School
Community in September 2016. Many thanks to Mrs. Boutilier, Ms. Emanuele, Mrs. Gass,
Mrs. Indrakumaran, Ms. Matheson, Mrs. McCabe, Mrs. Papa and Mrs. Ragno for their help in
organizing and providing an entertaining and informative evening for our new students and parents.
X Movement Community Night– Thursday May 5th, 2016
We are excited our St. John Fisher X Movement Community night. Please join us and the X Movement Team for a
fun-filled, energizing evening beginning at 5:30 p.m. You will have the opportunity to experience the Australian
sports program that teaches the powerful life lessons of trying something new and celebrating even the smallest of
wins. Bring the whole family out and remember to come dressed in comfortable clothes and footwear…ready to
join in!
Grade 8 Graduation
It’s hard to believe the year is quickly drawing to an end. With this comes the excitement of graduation.
St. John Fisher will be celebrating the accomplishments and achievements of our grade 8 students on
Monday June 27, 2016. More information regarding this special day will be sent home with students.
Extra Curricular Activities
Congratulations to both our boys and girls intermediate Basketball teams who participated in the
tournament on April 19, 2016. Both teams showed remarkable determination and team spirit
and maintained integrity throughout the tournament. We are very proud of their accomplishments and congratulate the girls for advancing to the finals and we congratulate the boys for
winning the tournament. A special thank you to Mrs. Fullan for sharing her talents and time with
the teams.
Congratulations to:
Boys Team: Taeon C., Jaheim H., Daviel J., Joshua M. , Emeka N., Fawaaz O., Dreamson P., Joshua R., Steven R.,
Allen S., Karl S., Neo S.
Girls Team: Morgan B., Casy D., Kaitlin D., Xhesika I., Abbigale J., Jhanlyane L., Maureen M., Sarah P., Ashley S.,
Leann S., Deandra T.
Congratulations to our Dance Team who competed at Rose Theatre on April 19, 2016. This was the first year our
students participated and we are very proud of their achievements. The team received a Platinum
award and placed 4th. Outstanding!! We thank Mme. McDonough and Mrs. McGrath who devoted
many hours to choreographing and practicing with the team.
Congratulations to : Aleta, Deandra, Lauren, Pheona, Rayna, Simone and Veronique
Permission To Leave School
In order to ensure the safety of all students, we need to know their whereabouts at all times. Students
who stay for lunch are not permitted to leave the property unless they have a dated, signed note,
informing their teacher that they have parent/guardian permission to leave the property. Students
must be signed out if they are leaving the school for any reason and receive an admit slip upon their arrival/return
to school. It is important to continue to remind students about traffic safety and safe crossing practices. To ensure
their safety, we encourage our students to cross the street using the stoplights, and/or at stop signed corners, and/
or to use the crossing guard. Helping to keep our children safe is a priority at St. John Fisher.
Student Dress Code Reminder
With more seasonal temperatures finally arriving, our students are beginning to wear their
spring / summer clothing. I would like to take this opportunity to remind students of our school
“Catholic Code of Conduct” expectation regarding dress code which states:
“In keeping with the Board’s Mission and Catholic School teachings, each school is committed to
standards of neatness, cleanliness, modesty and good taste . Students are required to dress in a
manner and attire suitable for the occasion and appropriate to the school environment. “ A few examples of
inappropriate clothing are; spaghetti strap tops, tops that leave the stomach area exposed and clothing that displays
inappropriate messages or pictures. In the event that a student comes to school with attire considered
inappropriate, a parent of the child will be contacted to make arrangements for the clothing to be changed.
Concussion Policy, Guidelines and Protocol
Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board has developed a Concussion Policy and Guidelines for students who have been diagnosed with a concussion by either a medical doctor or nurse practitioner. School staff cannot diagnose a concussion. Anytime a student reports to the office with a head
injury, the parent/guardian will be contacted and the incident will be entered into the school’s
“Documentation of Head Injuries” log. Your child may be given an information pamphlet entitled “We want to give
you a heads up…Concussions are serious.” This pamphlet outlines the signs and symptoms of concussions. It also
includes information about what to do if you suspect your child has a concussion and how a concussion is treated. Guidelines have been developed by Dufferin-Peel CDSB to support a 10-phase “Return to Activity” process following a diagnosed concussion. These guidelines include 5 phases for “Return to Learn” followed by 5 phases for
“Return to Play”. With parental consent, school administration will work collaboratively with school psychology staff
to monitor your child’s progress through the 10 phases.
Class Placements for September 2016
During this month, we will begin the process of organizing our school for September 2016. The final Organizational
Plan will be focused on the actual number of students who are registered and come to class in September. We make
a “best guess” now regarding, “how the school might look in September.” In September, the real student numbers
will determine the final class designations.
We tentatively organize classes for September 2016 at this time of the year. This is quite a complex process, and is
done in consultation with this year’s teachers, support staff and administrators. If you, as a parent or guardian, wish
to provide input into the process, please take into consideration the following guidelines:

Input must be in written form to the principal by Friday May 20th, 2016

Frame your request in terms of educational contexts (example learning needs/style).

Please note that letters which cite the names of individual teachers cannot be considered.

Information from all sources will be pooled to assist us in making the most appropriate placement for your child.
Flex Boundary Students
A reminder to parents that they are to request in writing, every year, if they wish to attend a school other then their
own neighborhood school. We would like to draw your attention to the following conditions under which permission
is granted:
a. Transportation is the parents’ responsibility
b. This permission for attendance will be reviewed by the Principal annually
c. The student admitted under this procedure does not automatically become eligible for the
secondary school serving this school.
Letters will be sent to all current flex boundary students as part of the annual review. Please ensure that this letter is
submitted if your child is attending St. John Fisher on Flex Boundary Permission.
Mother’s Day
There are angels God puts on this Earth, Who care for us and guide us.
You can feel their love and gentleness as they walk through life beside us.
They do great things for us everyday, they whisper in our ears,
They even hold us in their hearts, when we are filled with all our fears.
They are always there to give a hug , and to try to make us smile.
They treat us with respect and love, they treat us like their child.
God blessed me with an Angel, I’m proud to call my own.
She’s been with me throughout my life, been with me as I’ve grown.
She’s guided me the best she can, she’s taught me like no other,
and I’m thankful I’m the lucky one who get’s to call her
...MOTHER.
Bus Information
Please check the Region of Peel’s Transportation Department’s websites (www.stopr.ca and
https://businfo.stopr.ca/) to check for delays and cancellations. All concerns and complaints
regarding bus transportation are to be made directly to the S.T.O.P.R. at 905-890-6000
After School Routines
From time to time students need to get messages from parents about after school pickups. We would suggest that
you have a plan for your child in case of emergency. When calls come through to the school late in
the day it is difficult to get the message to the child. We may be busy in the office or the classroom
teacher may not be in their classroom. If you are unable to pick them up and they don’t see you in
the regular place perhaps you could give them an alternate plan to follow or direct them to the
office to confirm. This is an important safety issue that you should consider.
Attendance and Punctuality
Attending school regularly and punctually is important not only for academic progress, but also for the growth of
personal responsibility and the development of life skills. When a child is frequently absent from school he/ she
often experience gaps in his/her learning. When a child is frequently late for school he/she misses
valuable information and disrupts the learning of classmates when entering the room. The Education
Act states that it is the responsibility of the parent/guardian to ensure that their children attend school
regularly and punctually. We assist parents in this endeavor by regularly monitoring attendance and
punctuality and notifying parents when there are concerns.
Are You Moving?
If you are possibly moving out of the St. John Fisher area, we would appreciate knowing
ahead of time. Please notify our school office as soon as possible.
May 2016
Sun
Mon
Tue
Wed
Thu
Fri
1
2
3
4
5
6
Catholic
Education
Week
begins
X Movement
X Movement
Mrs. Piacente’s
& Mrs. De Fina
classes on trip
in morning
X Movement
Community
Event @
5:30pm
Ice Dawgs
8
9
Mother’s
Day
15
29
7
Intermediates in Montreal
Welcome to
Kindergarten
6:30pm
16
10
11
12
Grade 7
Confirmation
Retreat
Grade 8
Confirmation
Retreat
Confirmation
17
18
19
13
14
PA Day
20
21
Ice Dawgs
First
Communion
22
Sat
23
24
Victoria
Day
Holiday
-Parent Council
Pizza
30
31
-
25
26
27
28
Ice Dawgs
CWL
Walkathon